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Among  Indi 

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BV  3265  .W5  1899 
Wilder,  Robert  Parmelee, 

1863-1938. 
Among  India's  students 


Among 
India's  Students 


a. 


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/ 


Robert  P.  Wilder,  M.  A. 


"  In  Him  wat  life;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men." 


New  York        Chicago        Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1899 

by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


Preface 


To  the  student,  India  represents  a  wealth  of 
philology  and  a  maze  of  philosophical  systems. 

To  the  statesman,  India  is  a  nerve  centre  of  the 
world.  ''  The  true  fulcrum  of  Asiatic  domin- 
ion," says  Lord  Curzon,  the  Viceroy  of  India, 
"seems  to  me  to  increasingly  lie  in  the  Empire 
of  Hindustan.  The  independence  of  Afghanistan, 
the  continued  national  existence  of  Persia,  the 
maintenance  of  Turkish  rule  in  Bagdad  are  one 
and  all  dependent  upon  Calcutta.  Nay,  the 
radiating  circle  of  her  influence  overlaps  the  ad- 
joining continent  and  affects  alike  the  fate  of  the 
Bosphorus  and  the  destinies  of  Egypt." 

To  the  statistician,  India  means  one-fifth  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  globe,  for  the  Bombay  Presi- 
dency has  the  population  of  Spain,  Holland  and 
Norway ;  the  entire  population  of  Brazil  can  be 
accommodated  in  the  Central  Provinces ;  the  Ma- 
dras Presidency  and  its  native  states  have  within 
them  more  people  than  there  are  in  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  ;  the  inhabitants  of  Sindh  and  the 
Punjab  equal  those  of  Austria ;  the  population  of 
the  German  Empire  can  be  placed  in  the  North- 
west Provinces  and  Oudh ;  and  Bengal  has  within 
it  as  many  people  as  there  are  in  the  United 
States  of  America. 

To  the  ethnologist,  India  means  thirteen  races, 
from  the  Aryo-Indic  to  the  Dravidian,  speaking 
ninety  languages  and  dialects  and  divided  into 
eight  religions. 

But  to  the  Christian,  India  is  the  court  guarded 
by  ''the   strong   man    fully  armed."     It    is    the 


6  PREFACE 

place  of  opportunity,  since  it  is  under  a  Christian 
government  which  guarantees  rights  of  residence, 
freedom  of  speech  and  protection  from  violence. 
It  is  also  the  place  of  responsibility  because  it  is 
in  the  state  of  transition  and  will  adopt  western 
civilization  without  western  Christianity  unless 
the  Church  of  Christ  move  forward  more  rapidly. 

We  have  been  urged  for  several  months  to 
publish  this  little  book  as  a  testimony  to  the  im- 
portance and  difficulty  of  reaching  India's  edu- 
cated classes  who  are  the  ones  best  able  to  help 
or  hinder  the  evangelization  of  that  great  Empire ; 
and  as  an  evidence  of  the  necessity  of  employing 
personal  interviews  to  win  them  to  Christ. 

We  believe  that  this  volume  will  show  that  the 
worker  among  these  students  does  not  need  to  at- 
tempt to  settle  the  metaphysical  difficulties  of 
these  young  men,  but  can  accomplish  the  most  by 
a  simple  and  direct  presentation  of  the  life  and 
teachings  of  Jesus. 

We  hope  that  the  pages  which  follow  will  elicit 
more  thoughtful  and  persevering  prayer  for  In- 
dia's educated  classes,  who  will  not  receive  the 
Gospel  unless  *  the  Lord  open  their  hearts  to  give 
heed  unto  the  things  spoken.' 

R.  P.  W. 

3  West  Twenty-ninth  Street, 
New  York  City. 

June  lo,  1899. 


Contents 


I. 

The  Student  Field 

•       9 

II. 

Hinduism         .... 

•     15 

III. 

The  Work  and  the  Worker  . 

21 

IV. 

The  Unconvinced  . 

26 

V. 

The  Convinced 

35 

VI. 

In  the  Districts 

50 

VII. 

A  Stronghold  of  Brahmanism 

54 

VIII. 

Methods  of  Opposition  . 

61 

IX. 

Trials 

68 

X. 

Joys 

72 

Glossary 

79 

Among  India's  Students 


THE   STUDENT   FIELD 

There  are  30,000  students  in  colleges  which 
grant  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  or  some 
other  professional  degree,  and  70,000  in  the  two 
upper  classes  in  the  high  schools.  The  number 
is  increasing.  During  the  ten  years  from  1873  to 
1883,  23,472  passed  the  entrance  examinations 
and  2,391  obtained  the  B.  A.  degree,  and  from 
1881  to  1891,  41,467  passed  the  entrance  exami- 
nations and  7,159  obtained  the  B.  A.  degree. 
It  is  estimated  that  there  are  now  at  least  3,000,- 
000  English-speaking  natives  in  India. 

India  has  five  universities,  modelled  after  the 
University  of  London.  These  universities  are 
merely  examining  bodies  and  though  not  them- 
selves places  of  instruction,  determine  in  a  high 
degree  the  courses  of  study  in  the  colleges.  The 
largest  of  these  universities  is  in  Calcutta,  the 
capital  of  the  Empire,  where  there  are  twenty-four 
colleges  and  seventy-four  high  schools.  This 
university  examines  over  10,000  students  an- 
nually. To  the  number  of  actual  students  in 
Calcutta  should  be  added  at  least  30,000  more 
who  have  been  students ;  many  of  whom  are  now 
employed  in  Government  offices  or  in  business. 
Next  to  Calcutta  in  the  order  of  importance  as  an 
educational  centre  stands  Madras,  then  Bombay, 
Lahore,    and  Allahabad.      In  addition  to  these 

9 


lo  AMONG  India's  students 

university  centres  there  are  many  cities  containing 
colleges  of  a  high  grade  such  as  Delhi,  Agra, 
Lucknow,  Poona,  Nagpur,  Bangalore,  et  al. 

I.  Influence  of  Students  upon  the  Na- 
tional Life. — We  doubt  if  in  any  other  country 
in  the  world  the  educated  classes  wield  a  mightier 
influence  over  the  masses  than  in  India.  First, 
because  the  majority  of  the  students  belong  to 
the  higher  castes  who  would  be  influential  even  if 
illiterate.  In  South  India  out  of  a  total  of  3,366 
students  in  Arts  Colleges,  2,325  are  Brahmans. 
Out  of  667  graduates  in  law,  495  are  Brahmans. 
In  professional  colleges,  out  of  984  students,  680 
are  Brahmans.  There  are  four  times  as  many 
Brahman  as  non-Brahman  graduates  from  the 
Madras  University,  though  the  Brahman  popula- 
tion is  not  one-fifth  the  entire  population.  Sec- 
ondly, these  Brahman  students  are  taught  western 
science  and  philosophy;  hence  they  exert  a  pow- 
erful influence  upon  the  masses  of  whom  only  one 
in  nineteen  can  read  or  write.  Thus  educated 
Brahmans  possess  the  aristocracy  of  birth  and  the 
aristocracy  of  learning.  They  occupy  govern- 
ment positions.  They  know  the  language  and 
literature  of  India's  rulers.  They  are  the  recog- 
nized leaders.  If  these  men  are  Theists,  Intui- 
tionists,  Transcendentalists,  Agnostics,  and  The- 
osophists,  what  can  we  expect  of  their  followers  ? 
2.  Their  Moral  and  Religious  Condition. 
— In  considering  this  subject  our  thoughts  shall 
be  centred  upon  the  Hindus,  since  of  the  students 
in  colleges  only  seven  per  cent,  are  Mohamme- 
dans. It  should,  however,  be  stated  that  in  the 
Punjab,  Mohammedans  have  advanced  in  educa- 
tion more  rapidly  than  Hindus.  But  regarding 
India  as  a  whole,  the  large  majority  of  the  students 
are  Hindus.  An  educator  in  Western  India 
dwelt  in  glowing  terms  upon  the  rapid  progress  of 
education.     In  1852  there  was  only  one  school  in 


THE    STUDENT    FIELD  II 

his  city  of  44,000  inhabitants.  There  are  now 
several  high  schools  and  a  college  in  the  city,  also 
hundreds  of  schools  in  that  district.  After  con- 
gratulating him  upon  the  intellectual  progress  of  his 
people,  I  asked  about  the  moral  condition  of  the 
educated  youth.  With  downcast  face  he  replied  : 
'<  Sad,  very  sad.  They  have  lost  faith  in  Hindu- 
ism, and  they  have  lost  respect  for  their  parents 
and  teachers."  Recently  there  appeared  in  the 
Indian  Mirror  a  series  of  articles  in  which  the 
students  of  India  were  compared  with  those  of 
Great  Britain.  The  following  passage  will  show 
what  a  Hindu  thinks  upon  this  subject :  **  Un- 
disciplined, pert,  given  to  levity  and  ribald  con- 
versation, irreverent,  irrepressible,  self-assertive, 
our  present-day  students  are  certainly  not  what 
they  should  be,  nor  are  they  the  future  hope  of 
the  country.  Honest  folk  positively  dread  to  send 
their  boys  to  public  schools  for  fear  of  the  con- 
tamination, physical  and  moral,  to  which  the  lads 
will  be  exposed.  .  .  .  The  blame  for  what 
we  see  should  be  laid  to  the  account  less  of  the 
students  than  of  their  parents  or  preceptors.  .  .  . 
Passing  an  university  examination  seems  to  be  the 
aim  and  end  of  all  our  regard  for  our  boys.  .  .  . 
It  is  the  healthy  home  influences,  and  the  educa- 
tion he  has  received  in  the  public  schools  and 
colleges  that  has  built  up  the  Englishman's  proud 
and  uncompromising  character.  From  early 
youth  he  has  been  taught  to  believe  in  the  national 
religion,  in  the  greatness  of  his  country,  in  its  laws 
and  institutions ;  but,  above  all,  he  has  been 
taught  to  believe  in  his  own  capacity  for  infinite 
development." 

Religiously  the  educated  classes  fall  into  three 
broad  divisions : 

First,  The  majority  are  indifferent.  This  indif- 
ference is  due  to  distrust  of  all  religions  because 
they  have  learned  to  distrust  Hinduism  ;  or  to  ig- 


12  AMONG    INDIA'S    STUDENTS 

norance  of  the  Christian  faith ;  or  to  lack  of  time 
for  investigating  the  claims  of  the  various  religions. 
Many  are  at  heart  far  away  from  the  faith  of  their 
fathers,  yet  they  cling  to  Hinduism  as  a  social 
system,  even  though  religiously  it  has  no  com- 
mand over  their  reason  or  conscience.  These  are 
adrift  on  the  sea  of  agnosticism. 

Secondly,  Those  who  are  hostile  to  Christian- 
ity. This  hostility  is  due  in  many  cases  to  a  false 
patriotism,  in  others  to  pride.  It  is  humiliating 
to  abandon  so  ancient  a  religion  for  one  that  they 
regard  as  modern,  and  as  the  religion  of  their 
conquerors.  These  men  try  to  lead  India  back  to 
the  Vedic  faith.  We  find  them  attempting  to 
start  a  medical  school  according  to  the  old  Hindu 
Vaidya  shastras,  and  to  give  medical  degrees, 
such  as  the  '^Vaidya"  and  ''Vaidya  Raj." 
They  try  to  foster  a  superstitious  regard  for  the 
old  Indian  Rishis,  and  are  zealous  in  upholding 
Hindu  festivals.  They  also  defend  idolatry.  An 
honorable  LL.  B.  of  the  University  of  Bombay 
recently  published  the  following  in  a  leading 
paper:  ''We  are  not  one  of  those  who  view 
image  worship  as  a  gross  superstition,  and  who 
want  to  sweep  idolatry  from  off  the  face  of  this 
country.  .  .  .  Idolatry  is  the  principal  form  of 
worship  which  can  be  followed  by  the  generality 
of  the  people,  and  it  is  simply  madness  to  say 
that  there  is  something  immoral  or  absurd  in 
worshipping  an  image  of  clay."  These  men  op- 
pose not  only  religious  reform,  they  are  equally 
bitter  against  social  reform.  Their  opposition  is 
due  in  many  cases  to  partial,  or  distorted  views  of 
Christianity.  In  government,  Hindu,  and  Mo- 
hammedan colleges  they  have  no  opportunity  to 
learn  what  Christianity  really  is,  and  the  lives  of 
most  Europeans  do  not  commend  the  gospel  to 
them.  The  opposition  is  also  due  to  the  impetus 
given  recently  in  western  lands  to  the  study  of 


THE    STUDENT    FIELD  1 3 

Hinduism.  They  interpret  this  to  imply  that 
European  savants  beheve  in  the  religious  excel- 
lence of  the  Hindu  shastras. 

Thirdly,  The  seekers  after  truth.  This  is  the 
smallest  class.  These  men  are  musing  over  their 
own  needs  and  India's  degradation.  Some  try 
pilgrimages  and  penances.  Some  seek  satisfac- 
tion from  Vedic  and  Philosophic  literature.  Some 
join  the  Reform  movements  such  as  the  Brahmo 
Somaj  and  the  Prathana  Somaj.  They  advocate 
social  as  well  as  religious  reform.  At  the  National 
Social  Conference  in  Calcutta,  one  said,  *'The 
shastras  are  very  good  in  their  way,  but  we  are 
now  in  the  nineteenth  century.  As  the  age  has 
changed,  we  should  keep  pace  with  the  times." 
Another  remarked,  "  They  must  rise  above  preju- 
dice, and  cast  aside  fetters  placed  on  them  by  the 
Brahman  legislators  of  old. "  They  protest  against 
such  Hindu  marriage  scandals  as  men  of  sixty 
marrying  girls  of  nine  and  ten  years  old.  They 
revolt  against  priestly  chicanery.  One  writes, 
''What  is  the  standard  of  character  one  expects 
in  a  priest?  None,  absolutely  none.  So  far 
from  the  priests  having  to  mend  our  lives,  we 
have  to  mend  them  first,  or  to  end  them."  One 
of  this  class  had  thrown  away  his  sacred  thread, 
and  wandered  without  a  religion  for  four  years. 
When  I  first  knew  him,  he  was  living  with  a 
Brahmo,  but  he  gave  up  the  Brahmo  Somaj,  and 
was  drifting  away  from  Hinduism  and  Brahmo- 
ism  ;  but  he  was  willing  to  read  the  Bible  and  to 
attend  church.  Many  of  these  seekers  would 
find  the  Saviour,  if  the  truth  were  presented  to 
them  fully,  constantly,  and  in  the  power  of  the 
Spirit.  But  unfortunately  there  are  as  yet  very 
few  Christian  evangelists  devoting  their  entire 
time  to  this  class.  The  teaching  they  receive  in 
government  and  Hindu  colleges,  and  the  books 
they  read   in   the   bazaars   and  in  the  lodging- 


14  AMOMG    INDIA  S    STUDENTS 

houses,  shake  their  faith  and  sear  their  con- 
sciences. Since  they  know  Enghsh,  all  the  infidel 
and  immoral  literature  of  Europe  and  America  is 
accessible  to  them.  Some  of  these  seekers  place 
Christ  on  the  same  platform  as  Krishna.  Others 
regard  Jesus  as  superior  to  all  teachers  and  in- 
carnations but  not  as  divine.  Some  are  convinced 
of  His  divinity,  but  conceal  their  convictions 
through  fear  of  consequences,  since  they  know- 
that  a  public  confession  of  Christ  by  baptism 
means  loss  of  position,  property  and  relatives. 

Some  are  baptized,  in  the  Bombay  Presidency 
there  are  twenty-one  colleges  and  professional 
schools.  Of  these  only  one  is  under  Protestant 
Christian  control.  Of  the  i86  professors  in  these 
institutions,  only  forty-four  are  Christians.  A  yet 
more  significant  fact  is  that  of  the  3,189  students 
only  thirty-five  are  Protestant  Christians.  In 
nineteen  of  these  institutions  there  is  no  Christian 
work  done.  One  of  the  two  remaining  is  Roman 
Catholic.  In  seventy-six  High  Schools  of  the 
Presidency  there  are  6,394  scholars  in  the  two 
upper  classes.  Of  these  only  eighty-five  are 
Christians. 


II 

HINDUISM 

What  is  Hinduism?  A  Brahman  attempted 
to  give  me  a  definition,  but  before  he  completed 
his  statement  another  Brahman  contradicted  him. 
It  is  easier  to  state  what  Hinduism  is  not  than 
what  it  is.  It  is  the  residuum  left  after  ehminat- 
ing  Sikhism,  Jainism,  Islamism,  and  other  reli- 
gions of  India.  Its  main  characteristics  are  the 
recognition  of  caste  and  the  authority  of  the  Brah- 
man priesthood.  It  includes  a  quasi-monotheism, 
pantheism,  polytheism,  polydemonism,  and  athe- 
ism. An  authority  on  India,  Sir  Alfred  Lyall, 
has  said:  **The  Hindu  religion  is  a  religious 
chaos.  It  is  like  a  troubled  sea  without  shore  or 
visible  horizon,  driven  to  and  fro  by  the  winds  of 
boundless  credulity  and  grotesque  invention." 

1.  Its  Antiquity.  Two  thousand  years  ago, 
India  had  a  civilization  of  a  high  order.  The 
Rig  Veda  is  said  to  date  from  near  the  time  of 
Moses.  Hinduism  has  grown  through  thousands 
of  years  into  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  and  in  India  custom  is  king. 

2.  Its  Elasticity.  A  Hindu  may  believe 
anything  or  nothing,  provided  he  conforms  to 
the  rules  of  caste,  and  venerates  the  Brahmans. 
**Jathey  bhava  thathey  deva " —  ''Where 
your  faith  is,  there  is  God,"  is  his  cry.  Like  a 
rubber  ball,  Hinduism  receives  all  impressions, 
and  soon  reverts  to  its  former  shape.  M.  Barth's 
statement  is  just :  ''Among  all  the  kindred  con- 
ceptions that  we  meet  with,  there  is  not  another 
which  has  shown  itself  so  vigorous,  so  flexible,  so 
apt  as  this  to  assume  the  most  diverse  forms  and 

15 


1 6  AMONG  India's  students 

so  dexterous  in  reconciling  all  extremes,  from  the 
most  refined  idealism  to  the  grossest  idolatry; 
none  has  succeeded  so  well  in  repairing  its 
losses;  no  one  has  possessed  in  such  a  high 
degree  the  power  of  producing  and  reproducing 
new  sects,  even  great  religions  ;  and  of  resisting 
by  perpetual  regenesis  in  this  way  from  itself 
all  the  causes  that  might  destroy  it,  at  once  those 
due  to  internal  waste,  and  those  due  to  external 
opposition."  Compromise  is  its  cry,  and  it  com- 
promises by  including  all  rivals  within  itself.  It 
could  absorb  Christianity  if  Christians  would  con- 
sent to  form  a  subcaste  by  themselves  and  pay 
homage  to  the  Brahmans. 

3.  Its  Solidity.  Five  hundred  years  before 
Christ  a  mighty  upheaval  occurred  in  the  silent 
waters  of  Hinduism  and  the  island  of  Buddhism 
was  the  result.  For  centuries  the  religion  of 
Sakya-Muni  was  powerful  in  India.  Political 
prestige  and  a  popular  ethical  code  were  on  its 
side.  But  steadily  Hinduism  undermined  it  until 
Buddhism  crumbled  away  and  disappeared  from 
India.  Where  it  once  towered  aloft  we  see  noth- 
ing save  the  stagnant  waters  of  Hinduism.  There 
are  only  300,000  Buddhists  in  all  India.  Later 
Mohammedanism  overran  India,  but  Hinduism 
has  checked  it  by  the  sheer  force  of  inertia. 
All-conquering  Islam  is  practically  effete  in  India. 
The  power  of  Hinduism  is  seen  in  the  caste  sys- 
tem among  many  Mohammedans.  Often  where 
Hinduism  and  Islam  exist  in  numerical  equality 
side  by  side,  the  Brahman  officiates  at  all  family 
ceremonial  and  *'  the  convert  to  Mohammedanism 
observes  the  feasts  of  both  religions  and  the  fasts 
of  neither."  This  Goliath  of  Hinduism  has  suc- 
cessfully defied  both  Buddhism  and  Mohammed- 
anism— two  of  the  greatest  missionary  religions 
of  the  world.  To-day  it  defies  the  armies  of  the 
living  God. 


HINDUISM  17 

4.  Its  Fruits. 

(i)  The  Intellectual  Fruits.  Is  not  Hinduism 
unreasonable,  since  it  includes  within  it  pantheism, 
polytheism,  and  atheism  ?  Pantheism  denies  the 
personality  of  God  and  the  responsibility  of  man. 
The  doctrine  of  Maya  deprives  human  thought  of 
all  validity.  "  We  can  neither  know  that  absolute 
One  while  compassed  with  mind,  nor  seek  after 
it."  The  Vedanta  says  of  the  Absolute,  ''From 
whom  words  turn  back  together  with  the  mind 
not  reaching  him."  ''The  eye  goes  not  thither, 
nor  speech,  nor  mind.  Not  this.  Not  this." 
Polytheism  also  is  unreasonable.  How  can  a 
thinking  man  believe  that  the  world  is  governed 
by  many  gods  presiding  over  different  parts  of 
nature,  and  fighting  against  each  other?  How 
can  he  place  confidence  in  a  religion  which  has 
a  pantheon  consisting  of  330,000,000  idols  and 
idol  symbols?  Daily  he  hears  bells  rung  to 
arouse  the  deity  from  its  slumbers,  and  he  sees 
the  inanimate  god  bathed  and  fed.  He  also  wit- 
nesses the  worship  of  animate  things  such  as  ser- 
pents, monkeys,  cows,  and  elephants.  "  Should 
we  believe  or  think?"  said  a  Brahman  to  me. 
The  question  w^as  pertinent  in  view  of  the  unrea- 
sonableness of  Hinduism.  Have  the  naasses  been 
immersed  in  ignorance  in  order  that  they  may 
blindly  believe  and  not  think?  One  may  not 
teach  a  Sudra,  "for  he  who  tells  him  the  law  or 
enjoins  upon  him  observances,  he  indeed  together 
with  that  Sudra  sinks  into  the  darkness  of  the  hell 
called  asamvratta  (unbounded)."  So  say  the 
Hindu  "divine"  laws.  What  then  is  the  men- 
tal condition  of  India's  millions?  Only  one  in 
nineteen  can  read  or  write.  Of  the  140,500,000 
women  only  543,495  are  classed  as  literate.  Even 
the  languages  of  India  feel  the  effects  of  Hindu- 
ism. One  of  the  leading  vernaculars  has  no 
word   for   person,  no  one  word  for  chastity,  as 


1 8  AMONG    INDIA  S    STUDENTS 

applied  to  men,  and  no  adequate  word  for  con- 
science. 

(2)  The  Physical  Fruits  of  Hinduism.  The 
poverty  of  the  people  is  due  largely  to  astrolog- 
ical superstition.  The  declaration  of  certain 
days  as  unlucky  interferes  with  business  enterprise. 
Caste  also  has  crippled  commercial  progress. 
The  Hindu  law  says,  ''An  accumulation  of 
wealth  should  not  be  made  by  a  Sudra,  even  if  he 
is  able  to  do  so."  ''A  Brahman  may  take  pos- 
session of  the  goods  of  a  Sudra  with  perfect  peace 
of  mind,  for,  since  nothing  at  all  belongs  to  this 
Sudra  as  his  own,  he  is  one  whose  property  may 
be  taken  away  by  his  master. ' '  But  British  law 
has  made  Hindu  lav/  a  dead  letter ;  and  such 
effects  of  Hinduism  as  human  sacrifice,  infanti- 
cide and  suttee  are  no  longer  allowed  by  the 
British  government.  We  should  not  forget  how- 
ever that  within  a  period  of  four  months  in  the 
year  1824,  115  widows  were  burned  alive  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Calcutta.  Previous  to  1837, 
about  150  human  sacrifices  were  annually  offered 
in  Goomsur.  Villages  near  the  city  of  my  birth 
were '  scoured  by  the  emissaries  of  the  Hindu 
queen  to  seize  girls  to  be  offered  as  sacrifices  on 
the  altars  of  the  goddess  Kali.  In  Kattiawar  and 
Kutch,  3,000  girl  babies  were  murdered  yearly. 
To-day  we  see  the  sad  effects  of  the  system  as  we 
study  the  condition  of  the  22,657,429  widows — 
13,878  of  whom  are  said  to  be  under  four  years 
of  age ;  and  also  as  we  consider  the  death  rate 
which  is  nearly  double  that  of  England.  Periodic 
famines  and  the  fevers  and  the  density  of  the  pop- 
ulation are  not  the  only  causes  to  make  the  average 
duration  of  life  only  twenty-four  years  in  India, 
against  nearly  forty-four  in  England.  Twenty- 
six  per  cent,  of  the  children  die  before  they  reach 
the  age  of  one  year.  In  England  only  15.6  is 
the  rule.     Caste  feeling  leads  the  people  to  pro- 


HINDUISM  19 

test  against  sanitary  measures  and  segregation 
hospitals.  Much  of  the  mortality  in  plague  and 
famine  districts  is  due  to  caste,  which  is  the  key- 
stone to  the  arch  of  Hinduism.  Rajah  Sir  Ma- 
dava  Row  has  well  said:  "There  is  no  com- 
munity on  the  face  of  the  earth  which  suffers  less 
from  political  evils  and  more  from  self-inflicted,  or 
self-accepted,  or  self-created,  and  therefore  avoid- 
able evils  than  the  Hindu  community." 

(3)  The  Moral  Effects  of  Hinduism.  <<  A  re- 
ligion which  does  not  inspire  its  followers  with  a 
love  of  justice  and  devotion  to  truth  is  even  worse 
than  no  religion  ;  and  therefore  purification  of  re- 
ligion is  necessary."  These  are  the  words  of  a 
prominent  Brahman  in  Western  India.  We  gladly 
admit  that  there  are  gems  of  truth  and  beauty  in 
some  of  the  sacred  books  of  India.  But  we  are 
not  considering  isolated  truths  in  Hindu  philoso- 
phy and  poetry,  but  Hinduism  as  it  exists  to-day. 
Leading  Hindus  tell  us,  "  The  Upanishads  do  not 
form  any  part  of  the  religion  of  the  Hindus  as  it 
is  found  in  their  everyday  life.  In  actual  prac- 
tice they  are  either  Sivaites,  or  Saktas,  or  Krishna 
worshippers.  In  fact,  abomination  worship  is  the 
main  ingredient  of  modern  Hinduism."  Krishna 
is  the  most  popular  of  the  Hindu  gods.  His 
lying,  thieving,  and  immoralities  are  admitted  by 
the  masses.  ''Yatha  devah,  thatha  bhakta  " — 
**  As  is  the  god  so  is  the  worshipper,"  is  a  saying 
commonly  uttered  in  India.  Its  truth  is  proved 
t)y  the  immoralities  practiced  in  Hindu  temples. 
The  dancing  girls  of  Orissa  memorialized  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal  "that  their  exist- 
ence is  so  related  to  the  Hindu  religion  that  its 
ceremonies  cannot  be  fully  performed  without 
them."  These  poor  women  are  monuments  to  the 
moral  depravity  of  Hinduism.  The  Indian  Penal 
Code  of  the  British  government  states  that  any 
public  exhibition  of  obscenity  is  liable  to  fine  and 


20  AMONG  India's  students 

imprisonment  with  the  following  exception: 
''This  section  does  not  extend  to  any  representa 
tion  ...  on  or  in  any  temple,  or  in  any  car  used 
for  the  conveyance  of  idols,  or  kept  or  used  for 
any  religious  purpose."  So,  according  to  Hindu- 
ism, that  is  religiously  right  which  is  morally 
wrong.  The  Hindu  religion  permits  in  its  tem- 
ples that  which  the  government  cannot  allow  in 
the  streets. 

(4)  Its  Spiritual  Fruits.  A  Hindu  says,  "A 
sublime,  inactive  philosophy  too  long  has  had  the 
sway  over  us,  and  we  have  seen  the  result.  Any 
effort  to  renovate  India  through  its  sole  agency  is 
doomed  to  a  certain  failure. ' '  What  has  that  phi- 
losophy accomplished  ?  It  has  led  men  to  doubt 
God's  personality  and  to  deny  their  own  responsi- 
bility. Sin  in  India  is  ceremonial  defilement,  not 
moral  or  spiritual  defilement.  "God  must  be 
both  good  and  evil,"  said  a  Brahman  to  me. 
Salvation  means  passing  through  a  cycle  of  exist- 
ences until  one's  identity  is  lost  in  deity.  A 
woman's  goal  in  life  is  to  live  so  well  that  she  may 
in  the  next  life  be  a  man.  A  man's  ambition  is  to 
make  so  much  merit  that  he  may  be  born  into  a 
higher  caste.  A  religion  with  defective  ethics  can 
have  no  spiritual  uplift. 


Ill 

THE   WORK   AND   THE   WORKER 

Experience  has  demonstrated  that  an  excellent 
method  of  reaching  the  student  class  is  by  means 
of  lectures  delivered  both  in  and  out  of  doors. 
On  every  day,  or  every  other  day,  a  period  is  set 
apart  by  each  mission  college  for  Bible  instruction. 
In  addition,  other  lectures  are  delivered  in  college 
halls  and  other  buildings  at  stated  intervals.  A 
most  interesting  work  out  of  doors  is  done  in  Beadan 
Square  and  in  College  Square,  Calcutta.  In  the 
former  square  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  work- 
ers have  labored  about  eighteen  years ;  and  here 
one  may  find  every  Sunday  afternoon  about  200 
English-speaking  men  listening  to  the  Gospel. 
The  College  Square  gatherings  are  not  so  old ; 
but  the  work  done  in  this  Square  by  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  is  a  most  important 
one,  since  many  men  from  non-Christian  colleges 
are  regularly  assembled.  I  myself  employed  this 
most  practical  method  during  the  period  of  resi- 
dence in  Calcutta. 

The  pen  is  a  mighty  instrument  in  evangeliza- 
tion. Literature  of  the  right  kind  is  a  powerful 
agency.  India  offers  a  great  field  for  usefulness 
to  a  Christian  man  or  woman  possessing  literary 
talent.  Many  tracts  and  papers  handed  me  for 
circulation  I  have  hidden  out  of  sight ;  because 
they  either  approach  the  Hindu  from  a  European 
standpoint,  or  contain  incidents  and  illustrations 
which  he  could  not  possibly  appreciate,  owing  to 
his  education  and  environment.  There  is  now 
pressing  need  for  literature  written  by  men  who 
are  in  touch  with  the  educated  classes.  Reprints 
21 


2  2  AMONG  India's  students 

from  Europe  and  America  do  not  meet  the  case. 
It  is  my  purpose  to  employ  this  method  more  than 
I  have  done  hitherto,  having  been  especially 
urged  to  prepare  papers  for  educated  Hindus. 

Educated  men  can  be  reached  in  their  homes, 
or  in  their  lodging-houses.  Sometimes  one  does 
not  receive  a  hearty  welcome ;  on  other  occasions 
he  is  overwhelmed  with  kindness. 

On  one  occasion,  I  addressed  twenty  students 
in  a  lodging-house  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  Their 
attention  was  splendid.  Several  questions  were 
asked  me  in  a  friendly  spirit.  Later  I  was  es- 
corted to  a  room  and  seated  before  a  table  of 
mangoes,  guavas,  plantains,  confectionery  and 
soda  water.  I  was  driven  at  their  expense  to  and 
from  the  lodging-house.  They  even  paid  the 
gharry  fare.  It  was  useless  to  remonstrate,  for 
they  would  show  their  gratitude. 

In  my  judgment  the  most  important  method  of 
all  in  reaching  students  is  by  means  of  private 
interviews  in  the  worker's  home.  There  are 
several  advantages  in  this  method. 

In  the  first  place,  quiet.  In  the  Hindu  home, 
or  in  the  lodging-house,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
have  an  uninterrupted  interview. 

In  the  second  place,  in  one's  home  one  has  no 
fear  of  spies.  When  Jesus  said  to  the  first  two 
disciples,  "What  seek  ye?"  They  replied, 
''Rabbi,  where  abidest  thou?"  ''Men  are 
coming  and  going ;  we  long  for  the  quiet  and 
privacy  of  thy  booth."  Christ  respected  their 
reserve  and  invited  them  to  his  dwelling-place, 
and  in  the  twilight  of  that  wonderful  evening  they 
opened  to  him  their  hearts  and  he  revealed  to 
them  himself  as  the  Messiah.  Nicodemus,  also, 
it  will  be  remembered,  came  to  Jesus  by  night. 
Let  us  remem])er  that  John,  Andrew  and  Nicode- 
mus were  men  ;  these  students  are  lads.  How 
much  stronger  the  argument  for  privacy  for  them. 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKER       23 

The  students  discuss  the  rehgion  of  the  foreigner 
— the  rehgion  which,  if  embraced,  will  make  them 
outcasts.  Do  we  not  clearly  see  the  advantages 
of  privacy?  One  of  my  inquirers  told  me  that 
he  had  called  before,  but  found  that  I  was  reading 
with  another  student  and  did  not  wish  to  inter- 
rupt. This  statement  suggested  the  gain  of  taking 
men  one  at  a  time.  Another  interesting  case  is 
in  point  here.  One  day  five  men  came  to  see  me 
at  the  same  time.  We  studied  together  the  res- 
urrection of  Jesus.  One  of  the  men  was  foolishly 
argumentative.  I  had  known  him  well  for  several 
months,  during  which  time  he  had  read  with  me 
all  of  St.  John's  Gospel  with  the  exception  of  one 
chapter.  When  alone  we  had  most  earnest  and 
helpful  talks  together ;  but  when  others  were  in 
the  room  he  changed  his  attitude  radically. 

In  the  third  place,  in  one's  own  house  helps  are 
near  at  hand  ;  books  of  reference  are  within  reach 
to  meet  any  inquiries  or  difficulties. 

What  is  required  of  the  worker  ? — My  ex- 
perience has  been  limited ;  hence  it  is  with  some 
hesitation  that  one  so  young  in  the  work  offers 
suggestions  upon  this  subject.  The  paramount 
importance  of  the  theme  is  my  excuse.  The  re- 
quirements are  — 

First,  Accessibility.  If  the  student  comes  two 
or  three  times  and  finds  the  worker  absent,  he 
may  never  come  again.  Set  hours  are  not  enough. 
Students  will  not  always  remember  hours.  They 
wish  to  come  when  they  feel  inclined.  I  began 
by  naming  hours  ;  but  later  men  found  the  doors 
open  all  day.  They  have  come  as  early  as  6:30 
A.  M.  and  as  late  as  9  p.  m.  Between  ten  and  two 
few  students  ever  came ;  but  this  is  the  time  for 
graduates  who  are  men  of  leisure.  Hence  it 
seems  to  be  of  importance  that  two  should  work 
together.  While  one  is  delivering  a  lecture,  or 
visiting   a  student  lodging-house,  the   other  can 


24  AMONG  India's  students 

remain  at  home  to  receive  visitors.  Frequently  I 
have  been  prevented  from  delivering  lectures  for 
fear  lest  I  should  miss  men  who  seek  personal 
interviews.  For  these  and  other  reasons,  since 
leaving  Calcutta,  Mr.  Max  Wood  Moorhead  of 
New  York  City  has  been  cooperating  with  me. 

Secondly,  Time.  It  takes  time  to  deal  with 
men ;  for  personal  interviews  cannot  be  rushed 
through. 

Thirdly,  Sympathy.  It  is  all  important  that 
men  be  won  and  held.  Formality,  impatience, 
irritability,  ridicule,  or  unfairness  in  argument  are 
most  disastrous  in  effect ;  and  any  one  of  them 
will  defeat  the  end.  I  know,  personally,  an  in- 
telligent and  open-hearted  student  who  said  he 
was  alienated  by  some  missionaries  because  of 
their  unfairness  in  argument. 

Fourthly,  Knowledge, — not  only  of  Hinduism, 
Mohammedanism,  Brahmoism,  and  all  phases  of 
modern  unbelief;  but  also,  and  I  might  add 
chiefly,  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  Once  Hebrew 
was  of  use  to  me  when  a  Mohammedan  Cadi  ex- 
pressed a  wish  to  refute  my  arguments  in  the 
original.  On  handing  him  the  Hebrew  Old  Tes- 
tament, I  discovered  that  he  actually  knew  less 
than  my  little ;  for  he  did  not  know  a  word  of 
Hebrew  !  I  had  hoped  to  make  use  of  my  knowl- 
edge of  Sanscrit.  To  my  surprise,  few  students 
whom  I  have  known  have  even  a  rudimentary 
knowledge  of  their  sacred  language;  and  it  is 
difficult  to  find  among  them  a  thorough  Sanscrit 
scholar.  My  hand  illuminated  text  of  the  Bhaga- 
vad  Gita  gathered  dust  on  the  shelf  where  it  lay. 
Before  sailing  from  America  I  made  a  study  of 
Hinduism.  Imagine  my  surprise  to  hear  a  col- 
lege student  say,  '*  We  cannot  talk  with  you  about 
Hinduism  until  we  have  studied  it !  " 

I  did  not  waste  my  precious  time  teaching  him 
Hinduism ;  but  I  preached  Christ.     I  would  not 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKER        25 

be  understood  as  underrating  the  value  of  a  care- 
ful study  of  Indian  classics  and  Oriental  religions. 
All  knowledge  is  useful.  My  little  knowledge  of 
Hinduism  and  philosophy,  I  use  to  silence  oppo- 
sition. There  is  one  line  of  argument  which  I 
always  employ  to  clear  away  the  misapprehension 
that  Krishna  is  equal  to  Christ !  If  a  worker 
knows  his  Bible,  he  will  secure  interviews.  A 
student  said  to  a  missionary,  '^  Your  explanation 
of  John  i.  1-14  was  satisfactory;  for  this  reason 
I  have  decided  to  study  the  Bible  with  you. 
Many  have  tried  to  explain  the  meaning  of  that 
passage,  but  yours  is  the  only  satisfactory  explana- 
tion." The  one  who  can  interpret  the  Scriptures 
most  lucidly  and  forcibly  will  be  most  success- 
ful among  these  men.  "  The  opening  of  God's 
word  giveth  light." 

Fifthly,  The  Power  of  the  Spirit.  In  speak- 
ing of  a  missionary,  a  Hindu  student  said,  '*  He 
has  got  something.  I  see  it  in  his  face.  I  am 
willing  to  become  a  stone  if  I  can  get  that."  If 
we  are  fully  saved,  men  will  find  it  out.  If  we 
have  full  buckets,  some  will  come  and  drink  the 
water  of  life.  A  present  salvation  appeals  to 
them,  salvation  from  the  power  of  sin  as  well  as 
from  its  penalty.  An  old  Babu  said  to  me, 
*'  Christ  and  Krishna  are  the  same." 

I  replied,  *'  Has  Krishna  saved  you?  " 

''No,"  he  answered. 

The  only  hope  of  reaching  such  a  man  is  to 
demonstrate  by  our  lives  and  language  that  Jesus 
has  saved  us,  and  is  keeping  us  from  sin. 


IV 

THE   UNCONVINCED 

During  a  period  of  seven  and  a  half  months  I 
had  854  interviews  in  my  house  in  Calcutta; 
forty-three  of  this  number  were  with  Christians. 
Men  from  the  following  colleges  called  to  see  me  : 
the  General  Assembly  of  Scotland's  Institution, 
the  Free  Church  of  Scotland's  Institution,  the 
London  Mission  College,  the  City  College 
(Brahmo),  the  Presidency  College  (Government), 
the  Ripon  College  (Hindu),  the  Metropolitan 
Institution  (Hindu),  St.  Xavier's  College  (Roman 
Catholic)  ;  I  also  had  visitors  from  four  schools. 
In  a  single  day  I  met  in  my  study  men  from  seven 
educational  institutions.  A  number  of  those  who 
called  were  graduates  who  were  either  employed 
by  government,  or  were  following  their  respective 
professions.  Lawyer,  doctor,  teacher,  and  gov- 
ernment employee  have  come  to  see  me.  These 
men  are  of  many  minds.  They  may  be  grouped 
into  two  main  divisions,  the  Unconvinced,  and 
the  Convinced. 

Under  the  Unconvinced,  we  find  the  following 
four  classes:  i.  The  Indifferent.  2.  The  Hos- 
tile. 3.  The  Honest  Inquirer.  4.  The  Partially 
Convinced. 

I.  The  Indifferent. — This  class  is  the  largest. 
An  Indian  Christian  Professor,  S.  Satthianadhan, 
M.  A.,  LL.  B.,  says  :  <'  The  one  sole  ambition  of 
an  educated  Hindu  is  '  to  get  on '  in  life  by  secur- 
ing the  best  paid  government  post  within  his 
reach.  As  a  consequence  we  have  a  great  deal  of 
apathy  and  indifference  characterizing  the  major- 
ity of  the  educated  classes.  Mere  secular  educa- 
26 


THE    UNCONVINCED  27 

tion,  therefore,  has  not  been  an  unmixed  good. 
If  my  practical  acquaintance  with  young  India 
has  convinced  me  of  anything,  it  is  that  educa- 
tion is  the  last  thing  with  which  to  regenerate 
India.  The  educated  Hindu  no  longer  opposes 
Christianity ;  he  patronizes  it.  He  tells  you  that 
he  admires  and  reveres  the  character  of  Christ, 
and  that,  if  needed,  he  is  ready  to  give  our  Lord 
and  Master  a  place  in  his  pantheon.  The  great- 
est obstacle  at  present  to  Christian  progress  in 
India  is,  therefore,  the  apathy  and  indifference 
that  characterize  the  educated  classes.  There 
would  be  greater  hope  for  Christianity  in  India,  if 
there  was  more  downright  earnest  opposition  to 
Christianity  from  the  educated  classes." 

A  Babu  applied  to  me  one  day  for  help  in  se- 
curing an  appointment.  I  refused.  He  then 
asked  to  read  the  Bible  with  me.  I  told  him  that 
his  motives  in  reading  the  Bible  must  be  spiritual, 
and  that  he  must  not  come  to  the  study  in  the 
hope  that  ultimately  he  would  secure  a  good  gov- 
ernment position.  He  began  and  continued  com- 
ing, despite  the  fact  that  he  was  assured  that  he 
could  expect  no  temporal  help.  When  we  had 
read  together  twenty-one  chapters  of  St.  Mat- 
thew's Gospel,  it  was  evident  that  he  could  not 
shake  off  the  truth  learned.  He  seemed  much 
impressed  by  the  solemn  words  which  I  spoke  to 
him  upon  the  reading  of  the  2  2d  chapter  of  St. 
Matthew.  When  I  left  Calcutta  he  wrote  me  of 
continued  interest. 

Out  of  all  who  have  come,  very  few  have 
sought  financial  help.  After  a  few  interviews 
with  the  indifferent,  they  will,  if  not  convinced, 
either  stop  coming  or  pass  into  the  second  class, 
the  hostile. 

2.  The  Hostile. — Two  men  of  the  first  class 
came  and  asked  me  to  speak  of  my  travels.  I 
did    so   by  telling   of  the  missionary  movement 


28  AMONG  India's  students 

among  the  American  colleges  I  had  visited.  One 
came  again,  much  to  my  surprise,  and  asked  me 
to  speak  about  my  travels  in  Denmark.  I  told 
him  of  my  meetings  in  Copenhagen,  of  the  deep 
religious  interest  shown  by  members  of  the  aris- 
tocracy and  by  students.  I  spoke  of  the  Danish 
students  who  had  consecrated  their  lives  to 
Christ's  service  in  foreign  lands.  The  next  time 
I  saw  this  man  he  was  bitterly  hostile  to  Chris- 
tianity, even  to  the  point  of  defending  the  Bha- 
gavad  Gita  vehemently.  Instead  of  arguing,  I 
read  to  him  from  Justice  Telang's  hitroduction  to 
the  Bhagavad  Gita,  which  shows  that  the  Krishna 
of  the  Gita  is  inconsistent  in  his  statements. 
Justice  Telang  lived  and  died  an  orthodox  Hindu.  - 
Then  I  pressed  home  the  claims  of  Christ. 

One  day  after  arguing  earnestly  in  favor  of 
Hinduism,  he  said,  ''Let  us  read  the  life  of 
Christ.  Which  is  the  shortest  Gospel?"  I  re- 
plied, <'St.  Mark."  Since  then  we  had  about 
thirty  earnest  interviews.  At  times  A 's  hos- 
tility was  painful,  especially  when  Mrs.  Annie 
Besant  was  in  Calcutta.  But  he  continued  to 
come,  and  I  continued  to  give  to  him  God's 
Word.  That  the  hostile  class  is  not  hopeless  will 
be  seen  by  an  interview  which  I  will  relate. 

One  day,  after  reading  from  St.  Mark's  Gospel, 

I  prayed.    A seemed  deeply  moved.    He  said, 

'<  When  you  pray  do  you  imagine  Christ  before 
you  as  he  was  on  the  cross,  or  preaching  on  the 
maidan  (public  park),  or  as  rising  from  the 
dead?"  He  continued,  *'I  have  made  resolves 
to  be  good  and  then  I  have  broken  them  by  lying. 
After  having  fallen  into  sin  I  was  so  ashamed  that 
I  could  not  draw  near  again  to  God  in  prayer. 
Once,  when  young,  I  was  in  trouble,  and  I  vowed 
to  God  that  I  would  never  touch  meat  again." 
"  But,"  he  added,  in  a  discouraged  tone,  "  I  have 
broken  these  vows." 


THE    UNCONVINCED  29 

I  said,  **  You  cannot  carry  out  good  resolutions 
in  your  own  strength.  If  Christ  is  allowed  to 
enter  your  heart,  you  will  be  kept  by  Him." 

"I  do  not  understand  this,"  was  the  reply; 
''for  some  missionaries  sin  grievously.  Why  are 
they  not  kept?" 

"Both  a  babe  and  a  man  have  life.  The 
former  creeps  on  the  ground  and  gets  soiled  ;  the 
latter  walks  erect  and  keeps  clean.  Give  the  child 
time  to  grow.  Those  who,  as  you  say,  sin  so 
grievously,  are  only  babes  in  Christ." 

Up  to  the  very  last  of  our  stay  he  came  to  see 
me,  and  before  my  final  departure  from  Bengal 
we  had  an  earnest  interview.  After  having  met 
the  arguments  which  he  again  brought  up  in  de- 
fence of  Hinduism,  I  spoke  of  Christ  and  his 
words,  and  said,  "You  must  remember  that  the 
words  I  speak  to  you  are  not  my  words.  It  is  He 
with  whom  you  have  to  deal,  and  not  me." 

He  looked  at  me  very  strangely,  and  said,  "  I 
do  not  know  why  we  are  coming  to  you ;  for  you 
oppose  our  religion  and  talk  only  about  Christ. 
But  we  are  coming.     I  do  not  know  why." 

For  fifteen  months  he  continued  to  visit  me. 
Outwardly  he  is  still  hostile  to  Christianity. 
This  man  has  taken  his  examination  for  the  B.  A. 
For  a  man  of  his  force  and  character,  there  will 
doubtless  be  a  position  of  far-reaching  influence 
among  his  countrymen  awaiting  him.  Notwith- 
standing his  personal  prejudice  against  Christian- 
ity and  my  uncompromising  exposure  of  Hindu- 
ism, he  was  driven  under  the  constraining  influ- 
ence of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  follow  me  up ;  and  I 
confidently  expect  that  God  will  continue  to 
trouble  him  until  he  finds  rest  in  One  who  said, 
"  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled :  ye  believe  in 
God,  believe  also  in  7ne.'' 

3.  The  Honest  Inquirer. — Various  provi- 
dences,   such  as  the  loss  of  a  loved  one,   or  a 


3©  AMONG    INDIA'S    STUDENTS 

severe  illness,  drive  men  out  of  the  hostile  class 
into  the  class  of  honest  inquirers.  One  morning, 
a  man  who  had  had  a  severe  attack  of  fever  and 
who  had  lost  two  relatives  by  death,  came  to  me 
in  great  excitement  with  the  questions  :  '<  Where 
is  hell  ?  "  ''  What  will  become  of  those  who  die 
without  hearing  about  Christ?"  to  which  I  re- 
plied, ''  Leave  your  cousins  with  God  who  is  both 
just  and  merciful ;  but  make  sure  of  your  own 
salvation." 

Shortly  after  this  episode  a  student  came  to  me 
in  great  trouble :  a  few  days  before  his  wife  had 
died  ;  to-day  he  had  heard  of  the  death  of  a  dear 
uncle.  His  earnestness  seemed  evident  as  he 
knelt  by  my  side  in  prayer. 

Frequently  men  are  awakened  to  honest  in- 
quiry by  an  address.  A  fourth-year  Moham- 
medan student  came  to  see  me  after  hearing  an 
address  which  I  had  delivered.  His  questions  on 
the  Divinity  of  our  Lord  and  on  the  Trinity  were 
fair-minded,  and  his  conduct  was  courteous.  He 
gave  me  the  impression  of  a  man  in  search  after 
truth. 

4.  The  Partially  Convinced. — Among  hon- 
est inquirers,  I  have  found  those  who  place  Christ 
on  the  same  platform  with  Krishna,  and  those,  on 
the  other  hand,  who  regard  Jesus  as  superior  to  all 
teachers,  including  the  Hindu  Avatars,  but  yet  as 
not  divine. 

Receiving  a  note  from  a  student  in  the  gradu- 
ating class  of  a  mission  college  saying  that  he  was 
a  heathen  Hindu  and  had  much  admiration  for 
his  own  religion,  I  invited  him  to  call  to  see  me. 
He  came  with  a  student  from  a  Hindu  college. 
They  attacked  missionaries,  and,  in  defence  of 
their  position,  quoted  the  words  of  a  missionary 
who  said  to  a  room  full  of  students  :  ^'  If  Krishna 
were  here  to-day,  he  would  be  locked  up  in  Ali- 
pore  jail."      ''Sir,  such  remarks  alienate  us." 


THE    UNCONVINCED  3I 

I  preached  Christ  to  them,  instead  of  criticising 
their  gods.  They  could  not  see  the  necessity  of 
the  Incarnation  and  Atonement.  A  few  days 
after,  he  brought  me  the  Moha-Mudgara  of  San- 
kara  Acharaya.  I  asked,  *'  What  does  Hinduism 
lay  down  as  essential  to  salvation  ?  "  Not  receiv- 
ing any  answer,  I  spoke  to  him  of  the  superiority 
of  Christianity  over  Hinduism. 

"Ah,  I  see,"  he  replied,  a  little  scornfully, 
'*  you  can  sin  as  much  as  you  like,  and  yet  God 
will  save  you  ?  ' ' 

*<No,"  I  replied,  "we  cannot.  Repentance 
must  precede  salvation;  John  the  Baptist,  St. 
Peter,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  all  emphasize  the  neces- 
sity of  repentance." 

"  In  those  days  cometh  John  the  Baptist  .  .  . 
saying,  Repent  ye ;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
at  hand."  "  Repent  ye  therefore,  and  turn  again, 
that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out."  "  Except  ye 
repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish." 

He  replied,  "Then  you  are  saved  by  works, 
that  is,  by  repentance  ?  ' ' 

"  Listen  to  me,"  I  said,  "  and  I  will  clear  away 
the  misapprehension  in  your  mind  :  A  physician 
refuses  to  undertake  a  case  unless  the  patient 
promise  to  lead  a  life  of  coirect  moral  habits. 
When  the  patient  has  ceased  the  violation  of  na- 
ture's laws,  he  receives  medicine,  and  in  due  time 
he  is  cured.     What  cured  him?  " 

"The  physician,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

"Who  has  cured  me?  Jesus.  But  before  he 
undertook  the  case,"  I  went  on  to  say,  "repent- 
ance was  necessary  on  my  part."  I  then  spoke 
to  him  of  the  Atonement. 

A  few  days  later  he  brought  to  me  Babu 
Keshub  Chunder  Sen's  views  on  the  divinity  of 
Christ.  When  I  proved  from  the  Bible  that  Jesus 
claimed  equality  with  the  Father,  he  said  that  a 
great  man  in   India  lost  himself  so  much  in  God 


32  AMONG  India's  students 

that  he  claimed  identity  with  God.  Afterward  he 
told  his  followers  that  he  was  mad  when  he  made 
the  claim  ! 

I  replied,  ''Christ  maintained  this  claim 
throughout  his  ministry.  He  never  retracted. 
He  never  told  his  disciples  that  it  was  a  mistaken 
claim.  Hence  he  must  be  God,  or  an  arch-de- 
ceiver." 

*<But  we  do  not  like  to  speak  so  hard  of  the 
pure  Christ  as  to  call  him  a  deceiver.  He  prob- 
ably lost  sight  of  self  so  much  as  to  lose  himself 
in  God." 

''That  might  be  possible  in  India,"  I  replied, 
"where  pantheism  prevails.  Jesus  was  a  Jew, 
and  the  Jews  were  severely  monotheistic.  The 
Jewish  religion  does  not  point  to  the  loss  of  indi- 
viduahty;  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  honors  indi- 
viduality and  ennobles  it." 

"  How  do  we  know  that  the  Gospels  give  us 
the  exact  words  of  Christ  ?  The  disciples  may 
have  misstated,  or  misunderstood  Christ's  say- 
ings." 

I  replied  :  "  His  enemies  as  well  as  his  disci- 
ples understood  that  Jesus  claimed  equality  with 
the  Father.  He  allowed  men  to  worship  him,  a 
thing  which  none  of  his  disciples  allowed — a 
thing  which  even  the  angels  did  not  allow."  We 
continued  the  discussion  about  the  divinity  of 
Christ  until  he  was  silenced.  He  urged  me  to  see 
P.  C.  Mozumdar  who  might  better  explain 
Keshub  Chunder  Sen's  position. 

When  this  young  man  called  upon  me  the  next 
time,  he  admitted  that  I  had  proved  the  divinity 
of  Christ;  "But,"  said  he,  "I  cannot  under- 
stand it." 

"  You  look,"  said  I,  "at  the  divinity  of  Christ 
as  an  outsider :  I  from  within.  You  study  the 
Sun  of  righteousness  with  closed  eyes,  by  hearing 
lectures  on  spiritual  astronomy ;  I  with  open  eyes. 


THE    UNCONVINCED  33 

I  know  that  Jesus  is  divine,  because  my  spiritual 
eyes  are  open  to  see  him :   I  am  saved." 

''Our  rehgion  saves." 

''Are  you  saved?  " 

"  No.     We  are  seeking  salvation." 

"  I  have  found  salvation,"  I  answered.  "Try 
my  physician." 

"We  have  not  yet  tried  our  own,"  he  sug- 
gested. 

"But  Jesus  claims  to  be  the  only  physician  for 
sin-sick  souls,  '  I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and 
the  life  :  no  one  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.' 
And  if  another  Saviour  is  found,  these  words  are 
not  true,  and  Jesus  is  not  divine." 

"  How  are  you  saved  ?  " 

"By  receiving  Christ  into  my  heart  through 
faith,  just  as  by  opening  the  windows  I  receive 
light  into  my  room.  When  he  comes  in,  the 
darkness  of  sin  departs." 

"But  where  does  free  will  come  in?  "  was  the 
rejoinder. 

"In  opening  the  windows  of  my  soul,"  I  said. 
"  I  know  of  a  Christian  pu7ikawalla  who  had 
neither  wealth,  social  position,  nor  learning ;  but 
he  had  the  gift  of  eternal  life,  because  he  had 
taken  Christ  at  his  word  and  received  the  gift, 
while  some  of  you  wiser  (?)  men  do  not." 

"But  one  must  feel  that  he  is  a  great  sinner 
before  he  can  submit  to  the  physician,"  he  added, 
quickly. 

"Yes,  but  whether  we  feel  much  or  little,  the 
chief  thing  is  to  believe  in  the  Physician  and  sub- 
mit ourselves  to  him." 

"If  I  follow  Christ's  moral  teachings^  will  not 
that  suffice  ?  ' ' 

"  No ;  for  you  must  first  have  the  strength  to  do 
so.  We  are  dead  through  our  trespasses  and  sins. 
We  must  have  life  before  Ave  can  follow."  I  then 
spoke  to  him  of  the  New  Birth  and  true  faith. 


34  AMONG  India's  students 

The  next  visit  I  found  this  man  deeply  im- 
pressed, but  still  in  conflict  with  doubts.  I  said 
to  him,  '*  If  I  have  eaten  a  fruit  and  declare  it  to 
be  sweet,  and  you  have  not  eaten  it  and  declare 
it  to  be  bitter,  my  testimony  is  worth  more  than 
yours.  I  have  tried  Christ ;  and  I  know  that  he 
saves  !     You  have  not  tried  him." 

'*  But  how  can  we  try  him  ?  " 

*'  By  faith,"  I  said.  He  seemed  greatly  moved 
during  my  prayer.  During  a  subsequent  conver- 
sation he  said,  "After  talking  with  you,  we  said 
what  miserable  creatures  we  are  !  We  say  a  thing 
to-day  and  break  our  word  to-morrow.  Your  ar- 
guments are  very  strong.  You  have  made  us 
think ;  but  yet  we  reverence  Krishna  more  than 
Christ,  and  our  temples  more  than  your  churches. 
This  may  be  due  to  our  traditional  views."  He 
passed  successfully  his  B.  A.  examination  and  left 
Calcutta  for  his  home.  But  we  kept  in  touch  by 
correspondence.  He  returned  to  Calcutta  to 
study  law  and  again  came  to  see  me.  Just  before 
we  left  Bengal  he  came  with  a  tray  full  of  sweet- 
meats for  us.  Mrs.  Wilder  and  I  were  touched 
by  this  spontaneous  and  unusual  exhibition  of  af- 
fection. In  all  these  months  he  has  never  asked 
a  temporal  favor  for  himself,  or  for  a  friend. 
Where  did  we  leave  him  ?  In  this  class.  I  be- 
lieve that  he  regards  Jesus  as  superior  to  all  teach- 
ers and  saviours ;  but  he  does  not  seem  perfectly 
clear  as  to  his  divinity.  It  was  very  hard  to  leave 
him  and  others  like  him. 


THE   CONVINCED 

The  students  who  believe  in  the  divinity  of 
Christ  may  be  subdivided  into  three  classes : 

1.  Convinced  inquirers  who  shrink  from  bap- 
tism. 

2.  Believers  who  are  legally  minors. 

3.  Those  who  come  out  and  are  baptized. 

I.  Convinced  Inquirers  who  shrink  from 
baptism.  Belief  in  Christ's  divinity  necessitates 
obedience  ;  and  obedience  means  baptism.  Bap- 
tism involves  bitter  persecution  and  the  loss  of 
everything  most  precious.  One  day,  in  July, 
1S93,  J came  to  see  me.  He  was  a  real  in- 
quirer. Ignorance  of  Jesus  yielded  to  admiration 
for  him  as  the  best  of  men.  Admiration  gave 
place  to  wonder  as  we  studied  the  miracles. 
^A^onder  was  followed  by  awe  at  his  superhuman 
power.  He  was  convinced  of  Christ's  divinity. 
After  reading  to  him  passages  in  the  Word  on 
baptism,  he  admitted  cowardice  and  said  he 
would  ponder  the  matter  carefully.  After  an 
interval  of  four  months  he  came  to  me  again,  sent 
as  I  believe  in  answer  to  prayer.  He  disappeared 
again  for  six  months.  He  told  me  how  miserable 
his  disobedience  had  made  him,  and  he  acknowl- 
edged the  necessity  of  receiving  baptism.  He 
prayed  earnestly,  asking  forgiveness  for  sin. 
Upon  rising  from  his  knees  he  said,  ''Bring 
water  to  baptize  me."  Immediately  I  sent  for  an 
ordained  missionary. 

The  missionary  advised   J to  go   straight 

back  to  his  lodging-house,  and  live  as  a  Christian 
among   his    fellow-students.      This    disappointed 

35 


36  AMONG  India's  students 

me,  for  I  felt  that  the  boy  should  have  had  the 
sympathy  from  daily  intercourse  with  Christian 
students.  I  had  hoped  that  the  missionary  would 
give  him  accommodation  for  a  time  with  Chris- 
tian students  until  timidity  had  given  way  to 
boldness.  Naturally  the  boy  was  frightened. 
The  prospect  of  going  right  after  baptism  into  the 
centre  of  persecution  seemed  to  paralyze  him. 
He  disappeared  for  three  months.  But  just  be- 
fore I  left  Calcutta  we  had  a  few  words  together 
on  the  street. 

In  a  previous  interview  he  said,  ''  God  has  al- 
ways answered  my  prayers ;  hence  I  have  thought 
that  he  is  not  angry  with  me  for  not  being  bap- 
tized." I  referred  him  to  2  Cor.  xi.  14.  He 
saw  my  point,  and  admitted  that  Satan  had  been 
deceiving  him  as  *'  an  angel  of  light."  But  he  is 
not  yet  baptized. 

N ,  another  man  convinced  of  the  necessity 

of  baptism,  told  the  following  story  : 

"  I  went  home  to  bring  my  wife  to  be  baptized 
with  me.  After  reaching  home  I  became  seri- 
ously ill.  One  day  my  wife  said,  '  If  you  give 
up  all  thoughts  of  becoming  a  Christian  you  will 
get  well.'  They  were  putting  drugs  into  my 
medicine.  I  took  no  more  of  the  medicine,  and 
immediately  became  better.  They  then  stole  my 
cash  box,  so  that  I  should  be  unable  to  purchase 
food,  and  should  be  compelled  to  eat  what  they 
set  before  me." 

I  have  lost  trace  of  this  man ;  and  I  have  no 
means  of  knowing  whether  my  letters  have 
reached  him ;  nor  can  I  tell  whether  he  has 
been  so  drugged  as  to  affect  his  reason.  When 
we  met  he  had  a  government  position  and  an 
independent  income ;  but  the  duplicity  and  devil- 
ish cunning  of  his  family  and  his  caste  mates  (he 
is  a  Brahman)  have  paralyzed  him. 

B ,  another  man,  hesitated  to  be  baptized 


THE    CONVINCED  37 

on  the  ground  that  his  parents  would  become  des 
titute.  They  could  not  allow  him  to  remain 
home  after  he  had  lost  caste,  and  he  was  their 
only  support  and  comfort.  We  studied  together 
Matthew  vi.  24-34  and  Mark  i.  16-20.  He  was 
deeply  impressed  by  the  words  ''They  left  their 
f^ither  Zebedee  in  the  boat  .  .  .  and  went  after 
him."  It  is  peculiarly  hard  for  these  lads  to 
forsake  their  parents.  Family  affection  is  as 
strong  as  iron. 

Men  belonging  to  this  class  usually  quote  the 
arguments  employed  by  the  Friends  and  the  Sal- 
vation Army.  A  third-year  student  told  me  that 
already  he  was  an  outcast,  and  that  he  did  not 
see  the  necessity  for  baptism.  A  week  later  he 
spoke  more  fully  saying  that  Mark  xvi.  16  meant 
the  baptism  of  the  Spirit !  He  then  appealed  to 
the  attitude  of  the  Salvation  Army  toward  this 
sacrament. 

I  call  to  mind  another  student  with  whom  I 
have  had  many  interviews.  He  said  that  he 
could  not  see  the  necessity  for  baptism  and  added, 
"the  Salvation  Army  does  not  baptize." 

An  unbaptized  student  in  defending  his  diso- 
bedience, said  :  "  Are  not  the  Friends  and  the 
members  of  the  Salvation  Army  Christians  ?  If 
they  do  not  regard  baptism  as  essential,  why 
should  I  regard  it?  " 

Feeling  that  the  leaders  of  the  Army  should 
know  how  the  Army  is  quoted,  I  called  upon 
Miss  Lucy  Booth,  now  Mrs.  Booth-Hellborg,  and 
stated  the  facts  above  given,  kindly  and  prayer- 
fully. 

Receiving  me  most  courteously,  she  said, 
"Baptism  was  binding  in  New  Testament  times 
only  and  is  not  binding  now."  She  added,  "  If 
it  were  so  important,  God  would  have  revealed 
its  importance  to  my  sainted  mother,  and  to  my 
good  father  !  " 


38  AMONG    INDIA'S    STUDENTS 

"But  we  have  Christ's  own  words,  'He  that 
beheveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved.'  What 
right  have  you  to  cut  that  sentence  in  two,  and 
reject  the  words  'and  is  baptized'?"  Not  re- 
ceiving a  satisfactory  answer  I  continued  to  say, 
''Is  it  not  rather  a  hazardous  thing  to  reject  en- 
tirely the  plain  teaching  of  Christ  on  baptism  be- 
cause of  your  parents'  interpretation?  May  I 
give  you  a  parallel  case,  Miss  Booth  ?  Protestant 
Christians  of  all  grades  and  shades  of  belief,  irre- 
spective of  denomination,  revere  the  memory  of 
that  man  of  God,  Martin  Luther,  who  was  raised 
up  of  God  to  change  the  entire  course  of  the 
spiritual  and  the  political  life  of  a  nation.  In 
Martin  Luther's  addresses  and  sermons  no  marked 
concern  about  the  evangelization  of  the  heathen 
is  disclosed.  Martin  Luther  is,  like  all  men, 
fallible.  Suppose  he  claimed  to  be  infallible  in 
his  teaching,  would  it  not  be  rather  a  disastrous 
thing  for  Lutherans  to  ignore  in  practice  the 
Lord's  command,  '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature  '  ?  Is  it  not 
rather  a  hazardous  thing  for  the  Army  to  reject 
entirely  the  plain  teaching  of  Christ  on  baptism 
because  of  the  private  interpretation  of  your 
parents  ? ' ' 

Right  here  the  officer  in  command  of  the  Cal- 
cutta forces  who  was  present,  joined  the  discus- 
sion and  said,  "A  red  coat  means  baptism  for  the 
Army  !  " 

"But  Jesus  said  water  not  cloth,"  I  replied. 
Knowing  him  to  be  an  Oxford  man  I  referred  him 
to  the  use  of  BaTrri^io  which  he  acknowledged  im- 
plied the  use  of  water. 

Then  turning  to  Miss  Booth  I  said,  "How  do 
you  interpret  the  words,  '  This  do  in  remembrance 
ofme'?" 

She  replied,  "  We  must  do  all  things  in  remem- 
brance of  Christ." 


THE    CONVINXED  39 

"  But  Christ  did  not  say,  'do  all  things.'  He 
said  '  do  this  ' ;  and  the  '  this '  unmistakably  re- 
fers to  the  bread  and  wine." 

I  did  not  convince  Miss  Booth.  I  was  inex- 
pressibly pained  to  see  her  ignore  the  authority 
of  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  I  do  not  think 
that  the  Salvation  Army  leaders  and  sympathizers 
in  Europe  and  America  realize  how  seriously  they 
injure  Christ's  cause  in  India  by  disobeying  his 
plain  commands  concerning  Baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper.  Missionaries  in  India  are  practi- 
cally unanimous  in  the  belief  that  Baptism  is  f/ie 
test  for  educated  Hindus.  A  Bal^u  may  cease 
worshipping  idols;  he  may  neglect  the  Hindu 
shastras  and  read  the  Bible.  He  may  believe  in 
Jesus  and  confess  him  openly  by  word  of  mouth. 
All  this  will  not  make  an  outcast  of  him.  But 
the  moment  he  is  baptized,  persecution  begins — 
then,  and  then  only,  he  is  regarded  as  really  a 
Christian  by  his  Hindu  friends. 

2.  Believers  who  are  legally  minors. — 
In  August,  1893,  I  met  two  fine  students  from 
the  City  College.  After  our  conversation  was 
finished  one  said,  '^  What  shall  we  do  now?  "  I 
replied,  ''You  may  read  the  papers."  I  had  a 
little  reading-room  for  the  Babus.  He  said  to 
me,  "  You  misunderstand  me.  What  shall  we  do 
about  Christianity?     We  believe  in  it." 

I  referred  him  to  Matt.  x.  26-40  and  to  Acts 
ii.  38.  I  then  prayed  referring  to  the  verse, 
"  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the 
whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul."  After 
prayer,  he  said,  "My  brother  in  the  graduating 
class  has  forbidden  my  coming  here." 

His  companion  added,  "  My  friends  laugh  at 
me  for  coming  here.  How  can  we  be  supported 
if  we  become  Christians?"  His  friend  said, 
"That  is  no  matter." 

I  spoke  of  God's  care  for  the  sparrows,  and  said, 


40  AMONG  India's  students 

**  He  will  take  much  greater  care  of  his  own  chil- 
dren." A  few  days  later  one  of  these  boys  came 
alone  and  said,  "  I  believe  Christianity  to  be  the 
true  religion."     We  spoke  of  baptism. 

He  replied,  ''I  am  under  age,  only  seventeen." 

To  make  a  long  story  short  they  both  decided 
to  be  baptized.  Very  soon  after  the  decision,  one 
was  forcibly  removed,  and  the  other's  guardian 
wrote  me,  threatening  legal  proceedings.  What 
could  I  do  but  pray  ? 

P ,  the  elder  of  these  lads,  waited  one  day 

until  his  guardian  had  gone  to  his  law  class,  then 
gave  him  the  slip,  and  came  to  me.  His  prayer 
was  very  pathetic.  I  recall  these  words,  '*  O 
Lord,  my  horse  is  falling,  I  cannot  hold  the  reins. 
The  night  is  dark,  I  cannot  see  the  way."  I 
spoke  to  him  of  the  change  in  the  Apostle  Peter's 
character  after  Pentecost  and  the  reception  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  sent  a  message  to  his  companion 
whom  he  told  me  was  sad  and  dispirited. 

The   following    week   M came,    but   two 

watchers  accompanied  him.  One  a  Brahman, 
who  was  most  conceited  and  argumentative,  put 
to  me  these  three  questions  : 

'*  God  made  everything.     Did  He  make  sin? 

''Why  did  God  say  to  Adam  and  Eve  you 
must  not  eat  of  the  tree  ?  He  knew  everything. 
He  knew  that  they  would  sin. 

"  God  is  everywhere  :   then  is  He  in  hell  ?  " 

The  Holy  Spirit  helped  me  greatly  in  my  re- 
plies ;  and  the  Brahman  jailer  seemed  touched. 
In  the  presence  of  his  jailers  M boldly  con- 
fessed the  divinity  of  Christ. 

Some  months  afterward,  M told  me  that 

he  had  made  arrangements  for  baptism,  and  that 
his  brother  had  instantly  removed  him  from  Cal- 
cutta to  his  home  and  had  kept  him  under  watch. 
The  Brahmans  tried  to  drive  Christian  thoughts 
out  of  his  mind,  while  his  father  refused  to  allow 


THE    CONVINCED  4I 

him  to  become  a  Christian.  He  added,  **Two 
years  ago,  I  wrote  my  father  through  a  missionary 
of  my  feehngs  toward  Christianity.  My  father 
removed  me  at  once  from  Calcutta  and  authorized 
the  Brahman  priests  to  beat  me,  which  they  did. 
At  five  A.  M.  I  arose  and  read  the  Hindu  shastras 
with  the  Brahmans  until  ten.  After  eating  I  was 
compelled  again  to  read  the  shastras.  If  I  am 
baptized  I  will  be  sent  again  to  these  priests  who 
will  do  their  utmost  to  make  me  give  up  Christi- 
anity. If  I  yield  to  their  pressure  I  shall  be  a 
hypocrite. ' ' 

The  last  time  M came  to  see  me,  he  said, 

*'  Will  you  keep  me  after  baptism  ?  " 

*'No,"  I  said,  "we  cannot,  since  you  are  un- 
der age.  If  your  people  refuse  to  receive  you, 
we  will  gladly  take  you  in.  But  we  cannot  do  an 
illegal  thing  by  coming  between  a  guardian  and 

his  ward."     M promised  to  come  daily  to 

read  with  me ;  but  I  have  not  seen  him  again. 

Evide7itly  his  frie?ids  have  betrayed  him  info 
immorality  to  prevent  his  becoming  a  Christian  ; 

for  last  month  P told  me  that  M is  now 

thoroughly  depraved.  Imagine  what  it  would  mean 
at  home  for  a  lad  of  sixteen  to  be  thus  tried.  How 
many  would  stand  the  strain?  To  be  baptized 
means  to  go  right  into  the  hands  of  those  who  had 
beaten  him  and  who  could  drug  him  into  the  loss 
of  reason.  There  is  no  escape  from  their  clutches 
since  he  is  a  minor.  To  remain  a  Hindu  means 
the  gratification  of  every  lust,  and  the  satisfying 
of  every  appetite.  Even  relatives  and  friends  fan 
the  flames  of  passion  and  allure  into  sin. 

Many  weeks  passed   before  I  saw  anything  of 

P .     One  day  I  was  on  the  point  of  writing 

him,  thinking  that  possibly  the  letter  might  not 
fall  into  his  guardian's  hands.  But  once  more 
my  wife  and  I  went  to  God  in  earnest  prayer  to 
send  P — —  to  us.     Soon  after  he  rushed  in  say- 


42  AMONG    INDIA  S    STUDENTS 

ing,  ''I  have  no  peace  of  mind.  My  guardian 
has  forbidden  my  coming  to  this  part  of  the  city. ' ' 
In  his  prayer,  he  said,  ^'Oh  God,  darkness  sur- 
rounds me.  Thou  knowest  that  thou  art  dearer 
to  me  than  father  or  mother.  Thou  hast  said, 
*  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me 
is  not  worthy  of  me.'  "  A  few  weeks  later,  he 
prayed  "  Oh  God,  thou  knowest  I  am  surrounded 
by  friends  who  are  not  my  friends." 

Six  months  after  this  prayer,  P appeared 

with  a  very  bright  face.  He  wished  to  be  bap- 
tized a  few  days  later.  We  had  a  precious  season 
of  prayer  together.  I  did  not  see  him  again  for 
five  months.  Never  have  I  had  faith  so  tried  as 
with  these  men  !     No  reply  came  to  letters  that  I 

sent  to  P 's  city  and   country  addresses.     I 

had  no  means  of  knowing  whether  he  was  dead 
or  alive.  All  efforts  to  reach  him  through  mis- 
sionaries near  his  village  failed.  Finally,  I  found 
him  through  a  native  Christian  student.  We  had 
an  earnest  interview  just  before  my  final  departure 
from  Calcutta.  His  brother  had  died  and  on  his 
death-bed  had  urged  him  not  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian and  leave  the  parents  who  were  dependent 
upon  him.  ''  When  I  think  of  baptism,  the  face 
of  my  dying  brother  haunts  me.  How  can  I  go 
against  his  dying  request  ?  How  can  I  leave  the 
parents  who  are  bereaved  of  their  son,  and  who 
now  look  to  me  to  fill  the  place  of  the  dead  ?  ' ' 

After  warning  him  of  the  peril  of  putting  any 

one  before  Christ,  he  said,  ''  Tell  Professor  F 

that  when  I  feel  the  courage  I  want  him  to  bap- 
tize me." 

3.  Those  who  come  out  and  are  baptized. 
— After  reading  three  weeks  with  a  fine  second- 
year  student,  he  said,  ''  I  believe  that  Jesus  is 
God.  I  pray  to  him  in  my  difficulties.  I  have 
done  everything  he  requires  with  the  exception  of 
baptism.     Why  does  not  Christ  give  us  the  faith  ? 


THE    CONVINCED  43 

If  we  had  faith,  we  would  have  courage  to  come 
out  and  confess  him." 

Several  days  later,  he  came  to  tell  me  that  for 
three  days  he  had  not  attended  class  because  he 
was  so  exercised  about  his  future.  He  had  de- 
cided to  become  a  Christian,  but  deferred  bap- 
tism until  his  wife  could  become  convinced.  We 
read  together  Luke  ix.  59-62.  At  a  later  inter- 
view he  declared  his  purpose  to  confess  Christ ; 
but  explained  that  if  he  were  baptized  now  alone, 
that  his  wife  would  be  a  widow  for  life  and  would 
live  a  life  of  sadness.  ''Let  me  wait  until  she 
comes  to  me;  she  too  will  become  a  Christian." 
After  an  absence  of  two  months,  he  came  again, 
and  offered  a  most  earnest  prayer  telling  God  that 
he  had  forsaken  all  for  Jesus,  father  and  friends. 
Later  I  received  the  following  letter : 

*' 5th  January,  1894. 
*'  My  Dear  Sir  : 

*'  I  have  come  to  a  fixed  determination  which 
is  worded  thus :  My  wife  is  not  yet  of  age.  She 
is  now  in  her  fourteenth  year.  A  lawyer  who  lives 
in  our  neighborhood  tells  me  that  our  females 
come  of  age  when  they  complete  their  sixteenth 
year,  so  it  is  not  at  all  practicable  to  bring  her  to 
Christ  even  if  she  is  so  inclined  after  I  have  been 
baptized.  The  moment  after  I  am  made  a  Chris- 
tian the  news  reaches  my  mother-in-law  and  un- 
cle-in-law,  and  they  will  not  allow  her  to  join  me 
.  .  .  though  without  me  her  life  is  a  wretched 
and  miserable  one,  the  cruel  superstition  which 
has  been  laying  a  firm  hold  on  Hindu  minds  from 
time  immemorial  will  prevail  on  her.  I  do  not 
wish  to  ruin  a  poor  soul  forever.  Deprived  of 
Christ,  as  well  as  her  husband,  she  will  no  doubt 
become  a  contemptible  creature  and  her  life  will 
become  a  continual  midnight  without  the  remotest 
prospect  of  dawn.     To  love  man  is  to  love  Christ 


44  AMONG    INDIA  S    STUDENTS 

or  God.     I  should  be  kind  unto  her,  otherwise  I 
am  no  lover  of  Christ  which  I  profess  to  be. 

*'  The  next  question  is,  whether  Christ  is  to  be 
given  up  for  her  sake  ?  No  !  by  no  means,  not 
for  ten  thousand  such  wives.  If  she  does  not 
willingly  come  to  Christ,  I  declare  by  all  that  is 
holy  that  I  will  make  a  legal  separation  from  her. 
I  do  not  love  such  a  wife  who  does  not  love  my 
Lord  and  Saviour.  My  mind  tells  me  to  wait  a 
few  days  for  her ;  so  I  have  this  day  posted  a  let- 
ter to  her  which  reads  thus  : 

<  * '  My  Dear  Wife  : 

''  <My  heart  is  bent  upon  Christ,  I  wish  to  be 
baptized  as  soon  as  possible.  As  I  know  well 
that  you  love  Christ  as  much  as  I  do,  I  intend  to 
bring  you  here  very  soon  under  some  pretext,  so 
that  your  mother  and  uncle  may  not  suspect  any- 
thing. Be  sincere  and  speak  the  truth.  I  am  in 
earnest.  My  mind  will  not  change.  If  you  really 
love  Christ  tell  me  plainly,  for  then  I  may  bring 
you  as  soon  as  possible.  I  wait  for  an  early  reply. 
<<  <  Your  affectionate  husband, 

After  weeks  of  prayer  and  entreaty,  he  at  last 
succeeded  in  winning  his  wife.  They  came  by 
train  to  Calcutta  intending  to  be  baptized.  While 
on  the  way  from  the  station  to  my  house,  some 
fellow-students  stopped  the  carriage  and  asked 
him  why  he  had  brought  his  wife  to  Calcutta 
without  informing  them,  and  also  where  he  was 
taking  her.  The  pressure  was  too  strong,  the 
nervous  strain  too  great.  Seeing  he  was  de- 
tected, he  took  his  wife  to  her  own  relatives  in 
the  city. 

After  this  episode  came  billows  of  trouble  :  his 
father  died  and  his  wife  was  removed  from  Cal- 
cutta to  his  own  home,  and  he  could  not  get  her 


THE    CONVINCED  45 

away  until  the  third  funeral  ceremony  was  fin- 
ished, /.  <?.,  for  a  month.  I  urged  him  to  be 
baptized  at  once  and  then  claim  his  wife.  He 
replied,  "My  aunt  and  elder  brother  would  at 
once  communicate  with  her  mother.  All  would 
tell  her  terrible  stories  about  me,  and  keep  her 
from  me.  I  am  firm  as  a  rock  and  know  more  of 
Christ  than  she  does.  I  can  hold  out  for  a  month 
and  then  she  will  live  with  me,  and  we  will  be 
baptized  together.  How  can  she  hold  out  against 
the  entreaties  of  her  friends  ?  She  is  only  fourteen 
years  old  !  " 

Poor  fellow.  There  he  stood  before  me,  bare- 
foot and  in  garments  of  mourning.  His  worn 
face,  sad  eyes,  trembling  hand  and  hunted  look 
showed  how  awful  is  the  struggle  through  which 
these  students  must  pass  in  forsaking  all  for  Jesus. 

One  day  he  came  in  response  to  my  letter.  We 
urged  him  not  to  go  home  to  play  a  double  part, 
by  being  a  Hindu  externally  and  a  Christian  in 
his  heart.  We  showed  him  that  he  could  not 
serve  two  masters.  Jesus  must  be  first  and  all. 
He  must  be  dearer  even  than  the  wife.  He  said, 
''I  have  given  up  for  Christ,  relatives,  friends 
and  the  world.  I  cannot  leave  my  wife."  He 
prayed  most  earnestly  for  help.  How  awful  was 
the  crisis.  As  the  clock  was  nearing  midnight, 
he  passed  out  into  the  darkness — darkness  phys- 
ical and  darkness  spiritual.  Ere  the  door  shut, 
he  said,  "  I  must  pray  over  this  two  hours.  If  I 
feel  it  my  duty  to  be  baptized,  I  shall  come  to 
you  during  the  night." 

Five  months  passed.  We  went  to  Mussoorie 
and  returned  to  Calcutta,  My  letters  drew  from 
him  no  reply.  Our  only  power  was  prayer.  Our 
only  hold  upon  him  was  through  God.  At  last 
he  came,  driven  I  believe  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
His  face  had  no  joy,  and  his  heart  had  no  peace. 
He  said,  "I  must  become  a  Christian,  or  commit 


46  AMONG  India's  students 

suicide.  I  have  felt  ashamed  to  see  missionaries. 
My  friends  say  that  the  missionaries  lie  in  telling 
me  that  I  can  get  peace  by  becoming  a  Chris- 
tian." I  told  him  that  his  doubts  were  all  due  to 
disobedience. 

But  still  he  wavered.  In  a  most  solemn  inter- 
view with  him  he  told  me  that  his  agony  of  mind 
had  been  so  great  that  one  night  he  called  out  in 
his  sleep  to  God  for  help.  A  student  heard  his 
cry  and  learned  in  subsequent  conversation  that 

H was  drawn  to  Christianity.     In  order  to 

divert  his  thoughts  from  Christianity  and  make 
him  satisfied  with  Hinduism,  this  so-called  friend 
handed  him  a  copy  of  **The  World's  Parliament 

of  Religions."    "  This,"  said  H ,  "  was  God's 

answer  to  my  cry  for  help."  He  continued,  "I 
see  that  the  leading  men  in  Europe  and  America 
point  out  truths  in  Hinduism  and  praise  our  reli- 
gion.    Why  should  I  leave  it  ?  " 

This  young  man  having  grown  up  a  Hindu, 
and  having  heard  of  Hinduism  from  Hindus,  had 
no  special  admiration  for  it.  But  the  expurgated 
Hinduism  of  Max  Miiller  and  the  sugar-coated 
Hinduism  of  '<  The  Parliament  of  Religions  "  at- 
tracted him. 

In  the  hundreds  of  personal  interviews  with 
educated  Hindus  /  have  not  found  one  helped  by 
the  Parliament  of  Religions.  I  have  found  some 
who  have  been  distinctly  hindered  by  it. 

Our  hearts  were  so  drawn  out  in  sympathy  for 

H that  in  August,  1897,  I  wrote  to  Dr.  W. 

W.  White  who  was  working  among  students  in 
Calcutta  asking  if  he  knew  anything  about  the 
young  man.  September  15  th  Dr.  White  replied 
as  follows : 

*'  The  last  words  of  the  last  Baku  with  whom  I 
have  talked  to-day  were  :    '  Tell  him  (Mr.  Wilder) 

your  dear  H has  returned  to  Christ.*     It  is 

strange  that  so  close  together  should  be  the  com- 


THE    CONVINCED  47 

ing  of  your  letter  and  the  introduction  of  your  old 
friend  to  me. 

'*  He  came  for  the  first  time  about  ten  days.  ago. 
I  have  had  a  number  of  very  close  and  most  in- 
teresting interviews  with  him.  We  have  prayed 
together  several  times.  He  is  one  of  the  rarest 
men  I  have  met  in  India.  He  speaks  of  you  and 
Mrs.  Wilder  in  tenderest  terms,  and  wished  me 
to  write  telling  you  about  him.  He  asked  me 
tliis  evening  if  you  would  know  of  his  baptism 
before  it  should  occur.   .   .   , 

"He  goes  home  to-morrow  to  tell  his  family. 
The  last  obstacle  was  the  fear  he  had  that  his 
family  would  starve  between  the  time  of  his  bap- 
tism and  the  time  when  he  should  secure  a  posi- 
tion. I  am  going  to  take  him  in  here  and  give 
him  some  work  and  some  instruction.  There 
ought  to  be  a  fund  for  such  times.  God  will 
show  himself  true  I  feel  sure. 

"The  following  is  the  substance  of  one  of  his 
prayers :  '  O  Lord,  open  the  path  before  me. 
Thou  knowest  how  long  I  have  wished  to  be  bap- 
tized, and  how  many  obstacles  have  been  in  the 
way.  One  by  one  these  have  been  removed,  and 
now  only  one  little  obstacle  remains.  Thou  Lord 
canst  remove  this  one.  I  am  now  a  Hindu,  Lord, 
and  am  supporting  those  dependent  upon  me. 
When  I  shall  become  a  Christian,  shall  I  be  any 
the  less  under  obligation  to  support  them  ?  Help 
me  Lord  to  get  a  position  so  I  may  support  them. 
Thou  knowest,  O  merciful  Father,  how  restless  I 
have  been.  Open  up  the  way  before  me  for  Jesus' 
sake.     Amen.' 

"  He  is  responsible  for  the  support  of  twenty-two 
uncles  and  aunts  and  cousins,  etc.  ...  I  want 
him  to  be  a  preacher,  and  a  heli)er.  I  believe  he 
will  be  a  mighty  power  for  God." 

November  3,  Mr.  J.  C.  White  wrote  me,  "You 
will  be  delighted  that  H was  baptized  last 


48  AMONG  India's  students 

night.  He  wanted  to  be  baptized  in  an  American 
church,  because  of  your  influence  over  him,  so 
it  was  at  the  Methodist  Church,  Mr.  Warne  per- 
forming the  ceremony.  It  was  most  impressive 
throughout.  His  answers  were  very  clear  and 
firm.  His  statement  before  baptism  of  the  trials 
he  had  had  during  eight  years  of  trying  to 
find  God,  was  very  interesting  and  told  in  a  fine 
spirit.  I  think  he  is  likely  to  prove  a  staunch 
Christian.  He  is  going  into  a  position  at  the 
Calcutta  Boys'  School  and  expects  to  continue  to 
support  his  Hindu  family  of  twenty-two,  though 
even  his  wife  has  been,  for  the  present  at  any 
rate,  taken  away  from  him." 

Several  months  later  came  the  message  "  H 

Babu  is  getting  on  very  well,  I  think.  His  wife 
now  wishes  to  be  baptized  ;  also  his  brother  who 
was  so  much  opposed  at  first." 

I  have  tried  thus  faithfully  and  fully  to  show 
the  almost  insuperable  obstacles  which  educated 
Hindus  must  face  in  confessing  Christ.  After  the 
inertia  of  indifference  gives  way  to  investigation, 
hostility  is  naturally  aroused  against  the  religion 
of  their  conquerors.  They  say,  why  should  we 
give  up  our  ancestral  faith  and  hoary  traditions  ? 
Why  should  we  surrender  high  caste  privileges, 
and  enter  a  religion  in  which  there  is  no  caste  ? 
And  as  honest  inquiry  succeeds  hostility,  there 
are  many  phases  of  doubt,  and  many  intellectual 
difficulties.  Intellectually  it  is  difficult  for  a  pan- 
theistic mind  to  reason  monotheistically.  When 
Hinduism  is  left  behind,  many  paths  open  before 
the  Babu.  Theosophy,  agnosticism,  atheism  and 
all  forms  of  scepticism  open  out  before  him.  All 
these  cults  come  from  the  West.  Before  the  Babu 
accepts  Christianity,  he  faces  Renan  and  Rousseau 
and  Voltaire,  and  it  may  be  Ingersoll,  and  worse 
than  these  he  is  confronted  by  New  Hinduism. 

What  a  temptation  to  turn  back  from  inquiry 


THE    CONVINCED  49 

to  one's  ancestral  faith  which  receives  praise  from 
Max  Miiller,  and  which  is  lauded  at  the  "  World's 
Parliament  of  Religions  !  "  If  he  fights  his  way- 
through  all  obstacles  and  approaches  the  goal  of 
Christianity,  friends  direct  him  to  the  Brahmo 
Somaj,  a  half-way  house,  which  claims  to  be  a 
place  of  rest  and  deliverance  from  all  dilemmas, 
and  which  is  a  resultant  from  the  conflict  between 
Hinduism  and  Christianity.  Here  baptism  is 
not  necessary.  Here  he  can  compromise.  He 
can  confess  Christ  with  the  mouth,  and  yet  re- 
main in  the  Hindu  Somaj.  Why  be  baptized  and 
be  cut  off  from  all  that  heart  holds  dear  ?  Why 
be  baptized  and  risk  the  loss  of  life  or  reason  by- 
being  drugged  ?  If  the  Holy  Spirit  were  not  in 
Christianity,  this  religion  would  make  no  head- 
way among  the  educated  classes.  But  God  is  in 
it  as  we  see  by  the  conversions  which  have  already 
taken  place. 


VI 

IN    THE    DISTRICTS 

Near  Calcutta  are  several  large  towns  in  which 
there  are  many  educated  Bengalese  who  are  glad 
to  hear  lectures  in  English.  Invitations  were  re- 
ceived to  spend  a  few  days  each  in  Krishnagar, 
Berhampore  and  Faridpur.  I  visited  Faridpur 
which  contains  between  8,000  and  10,000  per- 
sons. For  thirty-two  years  the  South  Australian 
Baptist  Missionary  Society  has  been  laboring  in 
this  part  of  Bengal;  and  for  sixteen  years  the 
field  was  worked  by  native  evangelists.  The 
workers  of  this  society  are  the  only  foreign  mis- 
sionaries among  at  least  10,000,000  Bengalese. 

Two  hundred  English-speaking  natives  were 
present  to  hear  my  first  address  which  was  deliv- 
ered in  the  Melah  Hall.  At  my  second  lecture  the 
audience  was  somewhat  diminished,  because  my 
words  on  '*  Sin  "  and  on  the  "  Divinity  of  Christ  " 
had  been  sent  home,  and  had  made  many  uneasy. 
However,  about  one  hundred  English-speaking 
natives  were  present,  including  the  head  of  the 
Government  High  School,  the  Sub-Judge,  and 
several  leading  pleaders. 

There  was  considerable  applause  when  I  alluded 
to  the  self-sacrifice  of  Christian  students  who  had 
gone  by  hundreds  from  Europe  and  America  to 
preach  Christ  in  non-Christian  lands.  The  Holy 
Spirit  was  present  in  power  at  both  lectures. 
Eight  men  sought  me  out  at  the  Mission  House 
for  private  conversation ;  six  of  these  were  hope- 
ful, and  one,  R ,  was  very  near  the  kingdom. 

Three  months  after  my  visit  R decided  to 

50 


IN    THE    DISTRICTS  5I 

be  baptized.  On  the  morning  of  the  day  fixed 
upon  for  baptism,  a  missionary  wrote  him  a  letter 
stating  that  arrangements  had  been  made,  and 
that  they  were  ready  to  baptize  him.  This  letter 
was  intercepted  by  his  wife  who  spread  an  alarm, 

and  in  a  few  minutes  R w^as  surrounded  by  a 

number  of  Babies.  The  missionaries  waited  until 
late  in  the  afternoon  for  him ;  but  receiving  no 
news  they  went  in  search  of  him.  Upon  reach- 
ing his  home,  they  found  R surrounded  by 

about  a  hundred  men  who  were  exerting  their 
efforts  to  the  utmost  in  order  to  prevent  his  taking 
the  decisive  step.  The  missionaries  begged  per- 
mission to  speak  to  R and  they  were  per- 
emptorily refused.  Even  their  request  to  pray  for 
him  was  denied.  But  they  kneeled  under  a  plan- 
tain-tree, and  in  the  face  of  manifest  disapproba- 
tion, they  commenced  to  pray.  Instantly,  the 
crowd  of  Babus  with  their  walking  sticks  in  hand 
rushed  toward  them  shrieking,  ''Hori  bol  !  " 
"  Hori  bol !  "     (Call  on  the  god,  Hori.) 

Two  or  three  of  their  group  then  brought  up 
arguments  from  European  and  from  American  in- 
fidels. R calmly  replied  that  he  had  con- 
sidered these  arguments,  and  that  careful  study 
had  convinced  him  of  their  fallacy. 

Several  weeks  passed  after  this  exciting  day, 
and  R was  not  baptized. 

Again  and  again  I  was  urged  to  revisit  Faridpur. 
A  missionary  wrote  me  as  follows : 

**  We  are  all  very  anxious  about  R .     His 

delay  about  baptism  is  I  fear  dangerous.  His 
wife's  hardness  and  her  anticipations  of  sufferings 
upon  being  an  outcast  are  his  only  excuses.  He 
is  utterly  miserable  in  his  soul  and  knows  that  he 
should  be  baptized.  .  .  .  There  are  other  men 
in  the  town  so  stirred  up  by  God's  Spirit  that  I 
feel  you  could  be  used  there." 

When  I  revisited  Faridpur  the  floods  had  begun 


52  AMONG  India's  students 

to  rise  and  so  much  water  surrounded  the  Melah 
Hall  that  we  got  our  feet  wet  in  getting  to  the 
place  of  meeting.  During  the  rains  the  children 
are  taken  to  school  in  boats.  My  subject  was 
"  God."  One  prominent  Babu  frequently  inter- 
rupted me.  One  of  his  questions  was  :  ''How 
could  God,  who  is  infinite,  become  a  man  ? ' ' 
The  Holy  Spirit  helped  me  in  meeting  these  ob- 
jections. 

Though  I  asked  him  to  question  me  further, 
and  though  he  had  two  opportunities  to  hear  me 
lecture  again,  he  did  not  put  in  an  appearance. 

On  a  subsequent  night,  I  spoke  on  "■  The  Power 
of  God."  His  power  was  felt.  None  inter- 
rupted. The  words  went  home.  R 's  atti- 
tude was  touching.  He  is  a  man  fifty-three  years 
old.  He  receives  a  good  salary  as  a  clerk  in  a 
government  office.  Though  he  acknowledged 
that  he  should  be  baptized,  the  strong  opposition 
of  his  wife  and  friends  took  the  courage  out  of 
him. 

In  one  of  his  letters  to  me,  he  wrote  :  ' '  If  I 
die  without  baptism,  which  I  do  not  feel  I  will,  do 
you  think  I  shall  go  to  hell  ?  Oh  do  not  say  so. 
I  have  found  my  Jesus.  I  have  found  my  Saviour. 
I  have  thrown  myself  entirely  upon  Him.  AVill 
He  then  renounce  me  and  give  me  up  to  Satan  ? 
Do  not  say  so.  You  wish  that  I  may  not  get  any 
rest  until  I  obey  God.  I  also  wish  the  same  thing 
and  never  pray  for  rest  apart  from  baptism." 

The  news  received  about  the  time  we  left  Cal- 
cutta, was  as  follows  :  ''  Poor  R is  miser- 
able and  ashamed  at  his  own  delay,  still  no  nearer 
baptism,  I  fear.     His  wife  is  still  terribly  hard." 

Several  months   after  this   R wrote  me,   ''I 

am  really  ashamed  of  myself  and  even  here  I 
very  seldom  see  my  Christian  friends  although  my 
heart  longs  for  them.  My  position  is  a  very  un- 
enviable one,  but  you  will  not  understand  it.     I 


IN    THE    DISTRICTS  53 

however  feel  within  myself  that  we  shall  meet  in 

heaven."     R reminds  me  of  the  young  man 

who  ran  to  Jesus,  and  kneeled  to  Him  and  asked 
Him,  "Good  Master,  what  shall  I  do  that  I  may 
inherit  eternal  life?"  ...  and  Jesus  looking 
upon  him  loved  him,  and  said  unto  him,  *'One 
thing  thou  lackest."  .  .  .  But  his  countenance 
fell  and  he  went  away  sorrowful  for  he  was  un- 
wilhng  to  give  up  the  "one  thing." 


VII 

A   STRONGHOLD   OF   BRAHMANISM 

The  Poona  district  has  a  population  of  1,067,- 
800.  Out  of  1,191  towns  and  villages,  1,169  have 
no  resident  Christian,  and  very  rarely  are  these 
visited  by  the  messenger  of  the  Gospel.  Four- 
fifths  of  the  population  of  this  district  are  in  vil- 
lages. From  these  villages  young  Brahmans  come 
into  Poona  City  for  study,  and  the  time  to  evan- 
gelize them  is  before  they  disappear  again  into 
the  district :  even  as  the  time  to  attack  an  ene- 
my's forces  is  when  they  are  moving  through  the 
narrow  mountain  pass,  rather  than  when  they  are 
scattered  over  the  broad  plains.  Poona  is  a  stu- 
dent centre.  In  Poona  are  located  the  Deccan 
College,  the  College  of  Science,  the  Ferguson  Col- 
lege, the  Sassoon  Medical  School,  and  a  number 
of  high  schools.  Each  year  the  government  of 
the  Bombay  Presidency  moves  to  Poona  for  the 
rainy  season,  and  hundreds  of  Indian  young  men 
are  employed  as  clerks  in  the  various  offices  of 
government.  These  clerks  have  nearly  all  been 
students,  and  speak  English.  It  has  been  esti- 
mated that  there  are  5,000  Indians  in  the  city  of 
Poona  who  speak  English.  From  schools  and 
colleges  these  young  men  pass  out  to  wield  a 
mighty  influence  over  the  ignorant  masses.  We 
doubt  if  there  is  any  part  of  India  where  the 
student  class  is  more  powerful  than  in  Western 
India.  Elsewhere  students  lead  intellectually  and 
politically.  Here  they  lead  socially  and  reli- 
giously as  well  as  intellectually  and  politically, 
since  a  very  large  majority  are  Brahmans.  In  the 
Poona  district,  the  Brahmans  outnumber  the  Mo- 

54 


A    STRONGHOLD    OF    BRAHMANISM  55 

hammedans.  Though  Poena  has  a  population  of 
only  160,000,  yet  it  is  the  centre  of  orthodox 
Brahnianism  in  Western  India,  as  Bombay  is  its 
commercial  centre.  The  Poona  Brahman  is  a 
synonym  for  bigotry,  and  the  influence  of  his 
conservatism  is  felt  throughout  the  Bombay  Presi- 
dency. Regarding  the  evangelization  of  AVestern 
India,  Poona  must  be  regarded  as  the  enemy's 
citadel. 

Since  the  abandonment  of  the  Free  Church  of 
Scotland  Mission  High  School,  no  resident  mis- 
sionary at  Poona  has  given  his  time  exclusively  to 
work  amongst  English-speaking  Brahmans. 

I.  The  Native  Theatre. — In  a  native  theatre 
in  the  heart  of  the  city  of  Poona,  we  began  a  series 
of  five  consecutive  meetings.  There  was  a  large 
attendance.  The  subjects  of  the  addresses  were 
as  follows:  ''Sin,"  ''Vedantism  and  Christi- 
anity," "  The  Reasonableness  of  the  Atonement," 
"God,"  and  "  Religious  Work  in  America."  A 
good  choir  helped  us  with  stirring  Gospel  hymns. 
My  first  address  was  upon  "Sin."  The  second 
evening  an  Indian  Christian  spoke  and  aroused 
bitter  opposition.  "According  to  Vedantism," 
said  the  speaker,  "the  cat  is  god  and  the  rat  is 
god.  When  the  cat  eats  the  rat  then  god  eats 
god."  These  words  infuriated  the  Brahmans  and 
a  riot  followed.  We  believe  that  as  a  rule  it  is 
better  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  let  the  audience 
institute  comparisons  between  Hinduism  and 
Christianity.  This  incident  shows  what  in- 
flammable material  we  have  to  deal  with.  The 
next  evening  the  highest  gallery  of  the  theatre 
was  locked,  policemen  walked  through  the  lower 
gallery  to  keep  order,  and  two  mounted  British 
policemen  guarded  the  street.  Three  nights  we 
had  a  quiet  and  respectful  hearing. 

As  a  result  of  these  meetings  young  men  sought 
us  out   at  our  home  to  inquire  about  Jesus,  and 


56  AMONG    INDIA'S    STUDENTS 

about  Christianity  as  a  system.  Some  said,  ''  We 
solemnly  declare  that  we  are  willing  to  be  legally, 
morally,  and  conscientiously  bound  to  turn  prose- 
lytes provided  you  convince  us  by  arguments." 
The  twenty-seven  questions  propounded  by  these 
students  indicate  their  point  of  view,  religiously, 
their  mental  calibre,  and  the  obstacles  to  faith  in 
the  Saviour.  Some  of  them  are  as  follows  : 
(i)  Should  we  believe  or  think? 

(2)  Are  we  to  be  material  or  spiritual? 

(3)  Can  we  not  be  moral  without  God  ? 

(4)  What  are  the  relations  between  Ethics, 
Theology,  and  Metaphysics? 

(5)  How  are  we  to  think  about  God,  by  reve- 
lation or  by  logic  ? 

(6)  Is  there  any  necessary  Creator,  and  is  He 
personal  ? 

(7)  Can  more  undeniable  opposing  truths  than 
one  be  possible  ? 

(8)  Is  perfect  justice  consistent  with  mercy  ? 

(9)  Is  man  a  free  moral  agent  ? 

(10)  Is  human  free  will  compatible  with  divine 
omnipotence  ? 

(11)  Did  God  make  man,  or  did  man  make 
God? 

(12)  If  Christ  is  the  only  Saviour,  is  not  God 
partial  in  not  seeing  that  all  have  a  knowledge  of 
Christ  ? 

(13)  Does  God  expect  from  us  obedience  and 
gratitude  and  other  such  human  requirements  ? 

(14)  If  there  be  divine  government,  can  we  be 
sure  that  it  is  conducted  through  such  human 
institutions  as  justice  and  mercy,  amounting  to 
human  perfection  only?  Or,  is  the  divine  gov- 
ernment only  a  medium  through  which  we  are 
governed  by  our  own  laws  ?  Is  the  medium  so 
indispensable  and  important  ? 

2.  The  Student  Hall. — At  the  last  meeting  in 
the  theatre  we  distributed  cards,  inviting  inquirers 


A    STRONGHOLD    OF    BRAHMANISM  57 

to  visit  US  at  a  building  in  the  city  which  we  had 
hired  for  this  purpose.  It  is  well  situated ;  in 
close  proximity  to  the  Tulsi  Bagh  Tennple,  and  in 
the  Brahman  quarter  of  the  city.  The  hall, 
which  faces  the  street,  would  comfortably  hold 
seventy-five  men ;  in  an  upper  story  of  the  build- 
ing are  three  small  connecting  rooms  where  in- 
quirers could  be  given  personal  interviews. 

On  the  opening  day,  twenty  called  to  see  us. 
The  next  day  we  began  a  Bible  class  with  the 
Gospel  of  St.  John  as  a  text-book.  Twenty- 
three  were  present.  The  following  day  forty 
came,  and  I  spoke  upon  the  verse  :  ''  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world."  The  next  day  sixty  were  present ;  and 
this  average  was  sustained  for  several  weeks,  in 
fact  nearly  as  long  as  we  occupied  the  hall.  The 
class  was  held  six  days  in  each  week.  Day  after 
day  we  kept  our  object  steadily  in  view  :  To  in- 
struct these  young  men  in  the  facts  of  Jesus'  life ; 
to  bring  to  bear  upon  them  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  Spirit  the  conviction  of  sin  and 
that  the  divine  Christ  is  the  only  Saviour  from 
the  penalty  and  power  of  sin. 

We  sought  in  every  way  to  induce  these  young 
men  to  read  the  Scriptures.  We  did  not  as  a 
rule  give  away  Bibles,  for  we  felt  that  a  Bible  was 
more  appreciated  when  earned  by  the  student 
himself.  But  we  offered  as  a  prize  a  New  Testa- 
ment to  any  one  who  would  attend  our  class  for  a 
fortnight  without  an  absence,  and  the  Bible  to 
any  one  who  came  regularly  for  three  weeks. 
There  were  io8  men  whose  names  were  on  our 
roll  for  competition.  More  Bibles  were  won  than 
Testaments,  since  each  one  wanted  the  whole 
Bible.  When  we  found  an  exceptionally  earnest 
inquirer,  we  made  an  exception  in  his  case  and 
gave  him  a  copy  of  the  Word. 

3.  Days  of  Prayer. — It  was  felt  desirable  to 


58  AMONG  India's  students 

have  a  day  set  apart  for  unitedly  waiting  on  God. 
The  first  of  a  series  of  days  of  prayer  was  held 
seventeen  days  after  our  arrival  in  Poona. 

Only  eternity  can  tell  all  the  results  following 
these  days  and  all  that  they  meant  for  us  mis- 
sionaries, and  for  the  other  Christian  workers  in 
Poona.  They  were  held  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Missionary  Conference  which  is  composed 
of  the  evangelical  missionaries  in  Poona.  Re- 
quests for  prayer  were  sent  in  from  other  parts  of 
India,  for  it  was  seen  that  God  was  with  us  at 
these  times  of  waiting  upon  Him.  At  the  close 
of  one  of  these  days  we  had  a  Gospel  meeting  in 
the  Student  Hall,  and  five  Hindus  rose  to  ask 
for  prayer  amid  the  jeers  and  threats  of  their  fel- 
low-students. One  of  these  has  since  been  bap- 
tized. The  greatest  hope  of  India's  speedy  evan- 
gelization lies  in  the  fact  that  we  Christian  work- 
ers are  giving  more  time  to  prayer  and  the  study 
of  God's  Word. 

4.  Personal  Interviews. — It  would  require  a 
volume  to  hold  them  !  Shall  I  begin  with  a  Mo- 
hammedan moonshee  who  came  several  times  to 
see  me  ?  He  said,  ''  I  agree  with  you  on  all  points 
but  two,  namely,  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and 
Christ's  sacrifice  for  man's  sin.  I  cannot  con- 
sider the  death  of  Jesus  as  a  sacrifice.  He  was 
accused,  found  guilty  and  condemned  to  die; 
but  his  innocence  is  no  proof  that  he  died  for 
men's  sins.  Many  a  person  has  been  put  to  death 
unjustly,  John  the  Baptist  for  instance,  but  his 
death  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  sacrifice.  The 
Jewish  sacrifices  cannot  be  said  to  be  types  of 
Christ's  sacrifice  of  Himself.  In  the  case  of  Jesus 
there  was  no  altar,  no  priest,  no  worshipper ;  hence 
there  is  no  resemblance  between  type  and  anti- 
type. God  is  averse  to  all  sacrifice.  '  Sacrifice 
and  offering,'  says  David,  'thou  didst  not  de- 
sire ;  burnt  offering  and   sin  offering  hast  thou 


A    STRONGHOLD    OF    BRAHMANISM  59 

not  required.'  If  tlie  God  of  love,  as  you  called 
Him  yesterday,  requires  a  human  sacrifice,  what 
difference  is  therebetween  Him  and  Moloch  ?  " 
This  educated  and  scholarly  Moslem  quoted  from 
the  Old  Testament  to  show  the  unity  of  God,  and 
his  familiarity  with  the  Bible  was  surprising,  but 
he  seems  to  be  hardening  his  heart  against  the 
truth. 

A  Hindu  student  who  had  been  to  every  one  of 
our  meetings,  said,  **we  are  like  Nicodemus  who 
came  by  night.  We  too  are  afraid."  Another 
asked  me  why  baptism  is  necessary,  and  requested 
me  not  to  mention  this  conversation  to  any  one. 
Before  others  he  opposed  us  by  asking  trying 
questions,  but  we  believe  that  he  is  an  honest  in- 
quirer.    He,  like  many  others,  leads  a  double  life. 

A  student  of  the  Poona  Native  Institution  came 
to  me  one  day  with  seventeen  questions.  I  quote 
a  few  of  these  to  indicate  his  line  of  thought : 

(i)  Why  and  in  what  particulars  is  Christianity 
superior  to  other  religions  in  the  world  ?  Espe- 
cially in  what  respects  does  it  differ  from  Hindu- 
ism, and  which  of  the  two  is  better,  and  why  ? 

(2)  Is  God  merciful  to  sinners,  or  does  He 
punish  them  for  their  sins  and  then  love  them  ? 

(3)  If  the  history  of  Christ  was  foretold  and 
also  known  by  the  Jews,  why  should  they  deny 
Him  as  their  God  ? 

(4)  What  was  the  state  of  sinners  before 
Christ's  incarnation  ? 

Two  who  are  near  the  Kingdom  asked  me  one 
day,  ''  Is  it  right  to  be  baptized  if  thereby  we  dis- 
obey parents,  and  make  our  wives  widows  for 
life?"  The  next  day  one  of  them  said  with  a 
sigh,  ''  There  is  nothing  in  common  between  Hin- 
duism and  Christianity.  ...  If  a  man  goes  to 
hell  will  he  remain  there  forever?  Is  Hinduism 
absolutely  false?  " 

Another    confessed    his   faith   in    Christ,   and 


6o  AMONG  India's  students 

asked  if  he  could  not  obey  Christ  in  every  re- 
spect except  baptism.  *'  If  I  am  baptized,  it  will 
bring  me  and  others  very  much  trouble.  Can  I 
not  be  baptized  in  my  heart  ?  ' '  His  sad  face  is 
still  before  me.  For  months  I  have  tried  to  find 
him,  but  the  only  answer  I  get  is  that  he  has  gone 
to  his  village.  Probably  his  people  will  not  let 
him  return  to  Poona,  lest  he  come  out  for  Christ. 
My  library  was  of  great  service  in  this  personal 
work.  I  often  loaned  out  books  to  inquirers. 
"The  Man  Christ  Jesus,"  by  Mr.  Speer; 
''Many  Infallible  Proofs,"  by  Dr.  Pierson ; 
"  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  by  Dr.  Broadus;  "  Mackay 
of  Uganda  "  ;  Keith's  ''  Prophecy  "  ;  "  How  did 
Christianity  Originate  "  ;  Philippians,  Job,  and 
Acts,  of  the  Cambridge  Bible  Series,  were  all  bor- 
rowed. 


VIII 

METHODS   OF   OPPOSITION 

1.  Removals. — Students  who  were  manifesting 
special  interest  in  Christianity  began  to  disappear. 
With  some  it  was  a  temporary,  with  others  a  per- 
manent eclipse.  One  fine  fellow  wrote,  ''  Yester- 
day when  I  left  our  Bible  class,  I  went  home.  I 
was  a  little  late.  My  guardian  knew  I  attended 
your  class.  He  was  exceedingly  angry  with  me 
and  now  he  is  not  going  to  allow  me  to  attend 
that  class.  Now,  I  think  it  is  not  proper  on  m}- 
part  to  go  against  the  will  of  my  guardian.  .  .  . 
I  shall  tell  you  one  day,  of  course  privately,  the 
reason  of  all  this.  .  .  .  My  parents  live  at  my 
native  village  at  a  distance  of  nearly  forty  miles 
from  this  place.  ...  I  shall  be  your  lifelong 
friend."  We  met  a  few  times  and  then  he  dis- 
appeared. I  did  not  see  him  again  for  fifteen 
months. 

2.  Assault. — But  the  cloud  of  opposition  did 

not  burst  until  the  first  baptism  occurred.     B 

had  for  several  years  been  under  the  influence  of 
missionariea  and  had  been  fully  instructed  in  the 
way  of  salvation  before  he  ever  came  to  the  Student 
Hall.  Upon  his  decision  to  be  baptized,  relatives 
tried  to  dissuade  him.  One  offered  him  a  good 
position  over  an  estate  ;  another,  who  is  Inspector 
of  Schools,  promised  him  a  teachership  if  he 
would  remain  a  Brahman.  His  mother  pleaded 
with  him  to  relinquish  the  mad  idea  of  becoming 
a  Christian.  But  he  was  baptized.  Two  days 
later,  he  asked  me  to  allow  him  to  give  his  testi- 
mony in  the  Student  Hall.     I  was  impressed  by 

6i 


62  AMONG  India's  students 

his  earnestness  as  he  told  the  Brahmans  of  his 
purpose  to  follow  Christ,  even  if  they  threatened  to 
kill  him.  He  was  ridiculed,  abused,  kicked,  and 
one  went  to  the  length  of  spitting  in  his  face,  a 
great  indignity  to  one  who  two  days  before  was  a 
Brahman.  Later  he  said,  "I  do  not  mind  their 
kicking  me,  but  it  was  hard  to  have  them  spit  in 
my  face."  I  comforted  him  with  the  words, 
^'  They  spat  upon  him,  and  took  the  reed  and 
smote  him  on  the  head."  ''A  disciple  is  not 
above  his  master,  nor  a  servant  above  his  lord." 

The  next  night  the  storm  burst  in  greater  fury. 
During  the  singing  of  a  hymn,  one  cried  out  in 
honor  of  the  god  Gunpati.  A  large  crowd  gath- 
ered outside  and  tore  up  the  Bibles  of  our  students 
as  they  left  the  hall.  On  reaching  the  street,  I 
remarked  to  the  assemblage  that  there  was  a 
larger  number  outside  than  inside,  and  asked  why 
they  had  gathered. 

One  replied,  **  We  are  advising  students  to  keep 
away  from  your  rooms.     It  is  our  duty  to  do  so." 

"  From  the  beginning  have  we  not  said  that 
none  need  come  to  us  if  unwilling  to  do  so  ?  " 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply.  Then  one  man  was 
pushed  in  to  me,  and  something  was  thrown  past 
my  face.  I  addressed  the  mob  in  Mahrathi,  "  You 
are  doing  nothing  new.  For  1800  years  Chris- 
tians have  been  persecuted.  Our  Guru  said, 
*  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  reproach  you  and 
persecute  you.  Rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad  ; 
for  great  is  your  reward  in  heaven.'  "  The  crowd 
was  silent  while  I  spoke,  and  one  said,  ''  We  have 
nothing  against  you."  I  stood  amongst  them  a 
little  while,  and  then  we  left  for  our  carriage. 
Again  they  broke  out  against  us.  One  cried, 
"Break  the  tonga  !  "  (carriage).  Another  struck 
the  carriage  with  a  stone. 

The  next  day  about  fifty  were  present.  After 
Mr.  Moorhead's  address  a  Mohammedan   asked 


METHODS    UF    UPPUSITION  63 

me  if  it  were  true  that  a  Brahman  had  been  bap- 
tized. On  my  assenting,  he  shook  hands  with  me 
saying,  "I  am  glad!"  The  Brahmans  present 
did  not  relish  his  remark.  No  love  is  wasted  be- 
tween Hindus  and  Mohammedans.  Bitterness  of 
feeling  has  increased  since  the  Mohammedan 
riots.  This  Mohammedan  rejoiced  in  the  fact 
that  there  is  one  Brahman  less.  If  the  English 
were  to  leave  India,  no  doubt  the  Hindus  and 
Mohammedans  would  fly  at  each  other's  throats. 
In  the  meantime  we  found  ourselves  locked  in  the 
hall,  and  the  crowd  outside  were  throwing  stones 
through  the  open  window.  About  twenty  students 
were  locked  in  with  us.  We  closed  the  shutters, 
and  went  to  the  third  story  to  pray.  One  said, 
"  Will  your  God  drive  away  the  mob  ?  "  *'  Yes, 
if  He  thinks  best ;  but  if  God  wants  us  to  suffer, 
we  are  willing."  A  student  climbed  upon  a  table, 
crept  through  a  trapdoor  in  the  attic,  felt  his  way 
to  another  trapdoor  in  the  hope  that  he  could 
pass  through  it  into  his  own  room.  But  this  door 
was  closed.  There  was  no  way  to  escape.  After 
we  had  spent  some  time  in  prayer,  the  door  to  the 
hall  was  opened.  Probably  our  coachman  had 
managed  to  do  it.  We  asked  the  Hindu  students 
if  they  would  go  down  into  the  street  with  us. 
They  refused,  saying  that  they  feared  the  mob, 
and  they  besought  us  to  bring  the  police  to  their 
help.  So  Mr.  Moorhead,  another  missionary,  and 
I  started  upon  the  novel  expedition  of  bringing 
policemen  to  rescue  Hindu  students  from  their 
own  fellow-students.  As  we  drove  off  a  shower 
of  stones  followed  us,  and  I  was  struck,  but  not 
injured  much.  It  was  difficult  to  find  a  police- 
man. When  we  returned  to  the  hall  the  crowd 
had  disappeared.  In  answer  to  prayer  men  kept 
on  coming,  but  some  were  frightened  away,  and 
others  were  forcibly  kept  away.  However,  about 
thirty  came  each  evening. 


64  AMONG  India's  students 

3.  Ejection. — Soon  after  B 's  baptism,  the 

owner  of  the  hall,  a  Brahman,  turned  us  out. 
His  hostility  no  doubt  was  increased  since  the  one 
baptized  is  a  relative  of  his.  All  were  friendly  to 
us  until  this  baptism  took  place.  We  were  told 
that  this  man  is  the  first  Poona  Brahman  who  had 
been  baptized  in  eighteen  years. 

My  last  address  in  this  hall  was  upon  ''The 
Four  Classes  at  the  Cross  ' '  :  the  Jews  who  cru- 
cified Christ,  Pilate  the  coward,  the  soldiers  who 
were  indifferent,  and  the  faithful  disciples.  Sel- 
dom has  an  audience  given  closer  attention.  It 
was  hard  to  leave  this  hall  which  was  the  scene  of 
much  deep  work  done  by  the  Spirit.  The  little 
rooms  in  the  third  story  were  also  precious. 
Here  we  had  personal  talks  with  timid  seekers 
who  could  not  be  overheard  ;  and  here  we  prayed 
for  inquirers  and  with  them.  The  heart  struggles, 
the  encouragements,  even  the  persecutions  en- 
deared the  place  to  us. 

A  new  hall  which  we  rented  w^e  found  to  be 
better  adapted  to  our  work  than  the  old  one  ;  it  is 
more  central,  and  has  healthier  surroundings.  It 
is  owned  by  a  European  firm  which  does  not  turn 
us  out  because  of  baptisms.  The  manager  has 
been  told  that  the  building  will  be  burned  down 
unless  we  leave.  The  large  room  will  seat  one 
hundred,  and  there  is  standing  room  for  an  addi- 
tional fifty.  The  hearty  cooperation  of  the  mis- 
sionaries in  the  station  cheered  us  greatly.  The 
ladies  helped  in  the  singing  and  the  men  in  the 
speaking.  Native  Christians  too  have  witnessed 
in  this  hall. 

On  leaving  the  hall  one  evening  we  found  the 
crowds  in  the  street  bent  upon  troubling  the  new 
convert,  but  a  mounted  policeman  dispersed  them. 
As  we  drove  along  a  Brahman  lad,  w^ho  had  often 
come  to  see  us,  ran  up  and  slipped  two  oranges 
into  my  hand.     This  act  meant  more  than  words; 


METHODS    OF    OPPOSITION  65 

it  showed  sympathy  for  us,  and  a  drawing  towarr! 
Him  whom  we  serve.  Five  months  later  this 
Brahman  was  baptized. 

4.  Boycotts. — One  night  two  men  stood  at  the 
entrance  to  our  hall,  and  forcibly  kept  back  the 
students  from  entering.  We  prayed.  A  few 
nights  later,  the  leader  of  the  boycott  sought  me 
for  a  personal  interview  during  which  he  said 
that  after  obstructing  our  work  he  had  a  dream. 
In  tliis  dream  Jesus,  our  Guru,  seemed  to  stand 
before  him.  And  he  was  so  moved  by  the  sight 
that  he  has  been  urging  men  to  enter  the  Student 
Hall.  He  told  me  that  students  whom  he  had 
asked  to  come  would  corroborate  his  statement. 
I  asked  why  he  had  boycotted  us.  He  replied 
that  he  was  paid  to  do  it.  After  this  incident  he 
came  to  our  hall  a  few  times  but  never  again 
troubled  us. 

5.  Press  Attacks. — A  leading  Mahrathi  paper 
warned  parents  to  keep  their  sons  away  from  our 
hall,  because  ''The  love  of  these  missionaries  is 
more  dangerous  than  the  sword  of  the  Moham- 
medans." It  might  have  said  ''  The  sword  of  the 
Spirit  is  more  dangerous  than  the  sword  of  Mo- 
hammed." Yet  in  answer  to  prayer  students 
continued  to  come. 

One   day   a   Brahman  student,  B ,  invited 

me  to  his  home  to  cast  the  devil  out  of  his 
brother.  I  went  there  twice  and  preached  Christ. 
The  sick  lad  sat  to  my  right,  and  any  moment  I 
thought  he  might  go  off  into  a  fit.  This  afflicted 
boy,  the  bigoted  Brahman  father,  the  proud  elder 
brother  (who  had  refused  to  enter  the  Student 
Hall),  the  relatives  who  claim  to  be  Reformers, 

my  friend  B ,  the  dark  room,  the  smells,  the 

passers-by  gazing  at  me  through  the  door  and 
windows,  and  the  noisy  children  will  not  soon  be 

forgotten.     B came  with  great  regularity  to 

our  meetings,  and  now  he  is  dead.     Did  he  look 


66  AMONG  India's  students 

to  Christ,  ere  he  passed  away  ?  Shall  I  meet  him 
in  the  mansions  above  ? 

6.  Discussions. — This  was  the  favorite  method 
of  opposition.  Older  Brahmans  endeavored  to 
overthrow  us  in  public  discussions.  One  can  un- 
derstand better  after  these  debates  the  words, 
**And  they  watched  him,  and  sent  forth  spies 
which  feigned  themselves  to  be  righteous,  that 
they  might  take  hold  of  his  speech."  An  Arya 
preacher  came  to  Poona  and  tried  to  destroy  the 
Lord's  work.  First  he  argued,  ''  Your  Bible  says, 
*  They  shall  take  up  serpents,  and  if  they  drink 
any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  in  no  wise  hurt  them.' 
Now  will  you  drink  poison  ?  ' '  God  gave  us  love 
and  patience  which  did  more  to  disarm  him  than 
any  cleverness  in  discussion.  The  audience 
seemed  to  feel  that  we  really  desired  their  eternal 
welfare  and  not  merely  a  temporary  triumph  in 
debate.  The  Arya  preacher  never  troubled  us 
again  with  discussions.  But  his  next  move  was 
to  start  rival  preaching  right  in  front  of  our  hall. 
Some  were  drawn  away  from  us,  but  others  came. 
One  said,  <' When  I  pass  the  Student  Hall,  I  feel 
irresistibly  drawn  into  it.  It  is  almost  impossible 
to  keep  away."  Then  our  Arya  visitor  made  a 
new  move.  He  entered  our  hall,  and  shouted 
twice,  **  Let  all  who  are  Hindus  leave  this  place." 
All  but  six  fled.  The  next  night  however  we  had 
another  good  audience.  Prayer  upset  every  de- 
vice of  the  Adversary. 

We  did  not  permit  discussions  after  the  Bible 
class  lest  the  impressions  made  by  God's  Word 
should  be  dissipated.  But  at  other  times  we  al- 
lowed them.  Students,  teachers,  clerks  and  gov- 
ernment pensioners  have  tried  to  overthrow  us. 
The  last  public  discussion  held  in  our  hall  was 
with  a  Brahman  who  is  about  sixty  years  old. 
For  two  nights,  we  faced  each  other.  There  was 
an  excellent  spirit  manifested,  and  he  thanked  us 


METHODS    OF    OPPOSITION  67 

publicly  for  our  fairness  in  argument.  In  examin- 
ing Hinduism,  most  of  our  discussions  centred 
upon  Krishna.  In  discussing  the  Bible  our  de- 
bates centred  u])on  the  Freedom  of  the  Will,  the 
Atonement,  the  Resurrection  of  Christ,  and  Sin. 

We  are  convinced  that  straightforward  expo- 
sitions of  the  Scriptures  make  the  deepest  and 
most  lasting  impressions.  Nicodemus,  the 
Woman  at  the  Well,  the  Prodigal  Son,  the 
Crucifixion,  grip  these  men.  We  have  presented 
the  same  Gospel  narrative  two  or  three  evenings 
successively,  and  the  interest  of  the  audience  has 
not  flagged.  It  is  a  mistake  to  think  that  these 
men  need  profound  philosophical  addresses. 
They  need  rather  the  Word  of  God  spoken  *  not 
in  persuasive  words  of  wisdom,  but  in  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit  and  of  power :  that  their 
faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but 
in  the  power  of  God.* 

A  weekly  meeting  was  held  at  our  house  to 
pray  for  this  work  among  students.  In  addition 
there  were  frequent  prayer  meetings  in  our  home 
and  in  the  hall.  The  sustained  interest  and  at- 
tention for  a  year  and  a  half  can  only  be  explained 
by  the  volume  of  prayer  in  America,  England  and 
India.  We  never  tried  to  attract  men  by  speak- 
ing upon  secular  themes.  We  had  no  reading- 
room,  nor  social  meetings,  nor  intellectual  classes 
for  these  students. 


IX 

TRIALS 

The  worker's  trials  do  not  consist  so  much  in 
the  separation  from  friends,  in  the  cHmate,  ob- 
stacles and  environment,  as  in  seeing  inquirers 
step  up  to  the  line  without  crossing  it.  This  is  a 
severe  test  of  faith.  One  whom  we  thought 
nearly  ready  for  baptism  was  kept  away  from 
Poona  for  more  than  a  year.  Otliers  of  whom 
we  had  also  great  hopes  we  did  not  see  for  months. 

In  September,  1895,  a  Brahman  student  said  to 
Mr.  Moorhead,  "Last  night  I  was  so  happy  that 
it  was  difficult  to  sleep.  I  have  brought  my  best 
friend.  Tell  him  what  you  told  me  yesterday ; 
and  read  to  him   the  verses  which   you  read  to 

me."     The  friend  in  a  state  of  surprise  at  V 's 

earnestness  said,  *'V says,  ^Believe,  Be- 
lieve ' ;  but  I  do  not  know  how  to."     V had 

found  so  much  in  Christ  to  attract  him,  that  he 
wanted    his   friend    to   share  his  joy.     Here  are 

Philip  and   Nathanael  over  again  !     V and 

his  friend  brought  another.  These  three  not 
only  came  to  our  meetings,  but  also  to  our  bun- 
galow for  evening  prayers.  For  a  time  we  had 
every  reason  to  believe  that  these  young  men 
were  fully  convinced  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
They  held  off  from  the  issue  of  confessing  Christ 
by  baptism  on  the  plea  that  if  baptized  at  once, 
their  parents  would  cut  off  their  support;  and 
each  one  expected  to  matriculate  a  few  weeks 
later ;  and  since  the  certificate  of  matriculation  is 
regarded  as  a  passport  to  governmental  favor,  it 
was  a  serious  thing  to  abandon  preparation  for 
68 


TRIALS  69 

examination  as  they  would  be  compelled  to  do 
if  their  support  ceased,  and  they  were  obliged 
immediately  to  earn  their  daily  bread.  They  de- 
clared to  us  their  intention  to  be  baptized  at 
once,  if  we  would  promise  to  support  them  for 
the  few  intervening  weeks  before  their  matricula- 
tion examination.  We  did  not  think  it  right  to 
accede  to  their  request.  But  we  told  them  that  if 
they' trusted  Christ  for  salvation  they  should  trust 
Him  to  supply  all  their  need.  But  they  shrank 
from  the  sacrifice,  which  seemed  to  them  to  in- 
volve the  ruin  of  all  earthly  prospects.  Subse- 
quently, two  passed  the  matriculation  examina- 
tion ;   but  V failed.     The  two  who  passed 

were  soon  engrossed  in  their  studies  in  a  Hindu 
College.  Occasionally  they  came  to  our  meet- 
ings. Occasionally  one  of  them  was  moved 
mightily  by  the  appeals — moved  even  to  tears. 
But  the  old  love  was  lost.  'The  cares  of  college 
life  and  other  things  entering  in  choked  the 
Word,  and  they  became  unfruitful.' 

V was  very  regular  in  attending  our  Bible 

class  ;  but  he  was  habitually  accompanied  by  one 
or  two  students  from  the  College  of  Science  who 
watched  him  and  who  opposed  us.     He  seemed 

to  be   under  their  power.     Soon  V 's  heart 

began  to  harden.  Christ  was  no  longer  the  Sav- 
iour,  but  only    a  Saviour.      V maintained 

that  Krishna  also  is  a  Saviour.  Infidel  books 
were  handed  to  him.  One,  by  the  London  The- 
ist,  Voysey,  impressed  him  greatly.  I  read  with 
him  Voysey's  attacks  against  the  God  of  the  Old 
Testament,  and  endeavored  to  show  him  the  fal- 
lacy of  his  arguments.     For  a   year  V was 

very  bitter  against  Christianity.  But  he  kept  on 
coming  to  our  meetings.  He  interrupted  the  ad- 
dresses, and  we  found  it  necessary  to  rebuke  him 
for  rudeness  and  opposition.  Still  he  continued 
to  come.     We  tried  entreaty  and  warning,  but  all 


70  AMONG    INDIA  S    STUDENTS 

seemed  unavailing.  Finally  we  ceased  for  a  time 
pleading  with  him,  and  we  pleaded  more  earnestly 
with  God  for  him.  Several  of  us  united  in  a 
special  season  of  prayer  for  him. 

A  fortnight  after  this  meeting  he  said,  "  Two 
weeks  ago,  I  could  not  rest.  I  went  to  a  Hindu 
temple,  but  found  no  peace.  I  must  give  up 
the  struggle  and  be  baptized.  I  shall  pay  my 
bill  at  the  boarding-house,  remove  my  things, 
and  come  to  you  to  be  baptized."  We  praised 
God  for  answering  prayer.  He  continued,  "1 
have  no  money  to  pay  my  board  bill,  since  my 
father's  usual  remittance  is  late  in  coming.  When 
it  comes,  I  shall  repay  you."  To  tell  him  to 
wait  until  his  father's  remittance  came,  would 
lead  him  to  think  that  we  doubted  his  honesty. 
Delay  seemed  dangerous.  He  might  be  carried 
off  by  his  people,  or  drawn  into  sin.  So  I  gave 
him  the  money  sufficient  to  pay  this  bill  and  a 
few  other  small  debts.  The  Rev.  H.  Grattan 
Guinness,  D.  D.,  of  London,  who  was  our  guest 
at  the  time,  also  examined  him,  and  approved  of 
his  baptism.  Our-  hearts  were  full  of  joy.  The 
time  was  set  for  the  ceremony,  and  we  waited  for 

him  at  the  church ;  but  V failed  to  appear. 

He  told  us  later  that  his  friends  had  stopped  him. 
He  asked  that  a  Christian  might  come  to  his 
rooms,  and   help  him  to  get  away.     One  went, 

and   as   they  were   packing  V 's  things,  the 

door  opened.  A  Brahman  saw  what  was  taking 
place.  An  alarm  was  sounded,  and  a  crowd  as- 
sembled.    We  are  glad  that  the  Christian  escaped 

with  a  whole  skin.     But  V remained  behind, 

and  was  watched  more  closely  than  ever.  Two 
or  three  times  he  tried  to  escape  with  his  things ; 
but  each  time  he  failed  because  of  the  vigilance 
of  his  friends  and  his  own  timidity.  I  urged  him 
to  leave  without  his  things.  When  the  plague 
reached  Poona,  he  fled,  and  we  know  not  where 


TRIALS  71 

he  is.  We  believe  that  he  will  confess  Christ 
some  day. 

Shortly  before  we  left  Poona,  three  men  came 
on  three  successive  days  and  expressed  a  desire 
to  be  baptized,  but  they  have  not  yet  taken  the 
step. 

One  day  we  heard  of  a  boy  in  Poona  who  was 
confessing  Christ  boldly,  and  who  said  that  he 
had  learned  about  him  in  our  Student  Hall. 
We  have  no  trace  of  him  now. 


X 

JOYS 

Among  the  first  of  our  Brahman  friends  in 
Poona  to  be  impressed  by  the  Gospel  was  a  student 

nineteen  years  old  named  J .     He  was  a  tall, 

thoughtful-looking  lad  with  a  rather  pensive  ex- 
pression. He  had  been  deeply  impressed  by  the 
words  which  he  had  either  heard  in  the  Student 
Hall,  or  had  read  in  his  own  Bible,  namely, 
*<  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I 
shall  give  him  shall  become  in  him  a  well  of  wa- 
ter springing  up  unto  eternal  life."  In  this  boy's 
soul,  the  Spirit  had  created  a  thirst  for  the  Living 
Water,  even  for  Jesus  Himself ;  and  the  more  he 
read  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  the  more  convinced 
did  he  become  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  be- 
gotten of  the  Father,  and  that  through  Him,  and 
Him  alone  is  salvation  to  be  obtained.  One  night 
after  a  meeting,  he  stopped  our  tonga  on  the  way 
home  and  asked  for  an  interview,  and  then  darted 

into  a  dark  alley.     J lived  with  his  brother, 

a  well-to-do  Brahman  holding  a  clerkship.  One 
day  he  communicated  to  a  friend  of  his  certain 
convictions  about  the  truth  of  Christianity.  In 
some  way  the  facts  were  reported  to  the  bigoted 
Brahman  brother  who,  anticipating  the  impend- 
ing disgrace  of  his  brother's  apostasy,  upbraided 

J and  turned  him  coatless  out  of  doors.     He 

found  refuge  that  night  in  the  home  of  a  kind  In- 
dian Christian  friend  of  ours. 

Sometimes  he  joined  us  for  evening  prayers. 
We  often  spoke  to  him  of  the  necessity  of  obedi- 
72 


JOYS  73 

ence  to  Christ,  in  confessing  His  name  openly  by 
baptism.  He  shrank  from  this  step  because  it 
meant  the  loss  of  all  things.  But  he  found  no 
comfort  in  being  a  believer  secretly;  and  he 
oscillated  to  and  fro  between  this  position  and  the 
resolve  to  confess  Christ  openly  before  men.  One 
day  early  in  November  he  came  to  our  bungalow 
in  great  anxiety  of  mind.  He  saw  clearly  his 
duty  to  be  baptized,  but  grieved  over  his  lack  of 
courage  and  strength  to  face  all  that  baptism  in- 
volved. After  a  few  words  of  counsel  my  sister 
gave  to  him  the  verse  : 

'^  Every  one  therefore  who  shall  confess  me  be- 
fore men,  him  will  I  also  confess  before  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven.  But  whosoever  shall  deny 
me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

Up  to  this  time  arguments  and  entreaties  had 
failed ;  but  the  Word  of  God  worked  in  him  the 
courage  and  strength  to  obey  God  in  his  decision 
to  confess  Him  before  men.  On  November  26th, 
he  decided  to  take  this  step ;  and  he  promised  to 
return  to  us  that  night  with  all  his  things,  and  by 
obedience  to  God  in  receiving  baptism,  to  break 
once  and  for  all  time  with  Hinduism. 

At  nine  o'clock  that  evening  a  little  company 
of  Christian  friends,  Indian  and  European,  as- 
sembled   in    a   native   church  to  witness  J 's 

baptism.  He  had  not  arrived.  And  so  we  en- 
gaged in  prayer  until  a  quarter  past  nine,  and 
still  he  did  not  come.  Half-past  nine  struck,  and 
still  he  did  not  put  in  an  appearance.  We  con- 
tinued in  prayer  for  another  half  hour  and  then 
dispersed  to  our  homes. 

The  next  day  he  sent  us  word  that  the  night 
before  he  had  removed  his  belongings  into  a  car- 
riage and  was  on  his  way  from  the  city  to  the 
camp  where  our  bungalow  is  situated,  when  some 
influential  natives  stopped  the  carriage,  drove  him 


74  AMONG  India's  students 

back  and  locked  him  up  all  night.  At  the  time 
of  writing  this  note  he  was  under  guard.  At  this 
juncture,  and  in  my  own  absence  from  Poona, 
Mr.  Moorhead  was  advised  to  secure  a  writ  from 
a  magistrate,  and  to  demand  the  young  man's  re- 
lease. But  there  seemed  a  better  way  to  accom- 
plish the  end  in  view.  The  young  man's  deten- 
tion vividly  recalled  Peter's  imprisonment  by 
Herod.  Some  of  the  friends  who  had  assembled 
at  the  native  church  to  witness  his  baptism  reas- 
sembled at  our  bungalow,  where  the  narrative  of 
Peter's  deliverance  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Acts 
was  read,  and  prayer  was  offered  for  J 's  re- 
lease. 

The  next  morning  as  one  of  the  family  had  oc- 
casion to  leave  the  bungalow  early,   J was 

seen  coming  up  the  road.  His  watchers,  he  said, 
had  suddenly  relented,  and  we  knew  the  reason 
why. 

Again  he  was  on  the  point  of  baptism,  and 
again  he  was  prevented  by  friends,  or  his  own 
fears.  His  people  got  him  away  from  Poona,  by 
writing  that  his  brother  was  ill.  It  took  him 
some  time  to  reach  the  village,  and  then  they 
conveyed  him  to  another  village  to  see  a  relative 
invested  with  the  sacred  Brahmanical  thread. 
After  a  time  he  returned  to  Poona  expressing  his 
firm  faith  in  Christ  and  his  purpose  to  be  bap- 
tized. In  the  Student  Hall  he  asked  for  prayer 
in  spite  of  the  ridicule  and  threats  of  his  fellow- 
students  ;  but  baptism  was  still  postponed.  Peo- 
ple in  Christian  lands  do  not  know  what  it  means 
for  a  Brahman  to  take  this  step.  The  struggle  is 
awful.  Again  he  expressed  a  purpose  to  be  bap- 
tized. Again  several  Christians  assembled  to 
witness  the  ceremony,  and  again  we  were  disap- 
pointed. Some  thought  that  he  was  deceiving  us 
and  that  he  had  no  intention  of  being  baptized ; 
but  a  {qw  of  us  kept  on  praying  and  believing. 


JOYS  75 

For  several  days  he  was  in  my  house  with  another 
Brahman  lad  who  also  desired  baptism.  A 
Brahman  Christian  looked  after  his  physical  food, 
and  Miss  Bernard  of  the  Church  of  Scotland 
Mission  and  my  wife  helped  me  to  give  him 
spiritual  food.  Those  were  blessed  days — days 
of  walking  by  faith  and  not  by  sight.  We  felt 
our  utter  helplessness,  and  God  gave  us  patience 
to  work  on  with  the  timid,  fearful,  hesitating 
young  man.  Already  he  had  been  stoned  for  be- 
lieving in  Christ ;  on  his  forehead  where  formerly 
he  bore  the  paint  mark  of  heathenism  he  now 
was  bearing  the  mark  of  Jesus  (Gal.  vi.  17),  the 
cut  made  by  a  stone.  If  he  had  suffered  thus 
before  baptism,  what  might  he  not  expect  after 
baptism  ! 

Finally  his  mind  was  made  up.  He  wished  to 
take  the  decisive  step  when  our  little  Elizabeth 
and  his  Brahman  friend  K would  be  bap- 
tized. He  accompanied  my  wife  to  the  front  seat 
in  the  church  and  saw  the  others  baptized,  but 
again  hesitated.  We  did  not  urge  him.  As  we 
were  leaving  Poona  the  next  day,  he  came  to  the 
railway  station,  and  slipped  into  my  hand  a  note 
which  read  as  follows:  ''Though  I  was  afraid 
yesterday,  I  am  sure  God  will  give  you  blessing 
at  a  certain  time,  and  I  hope  God  will  never  let 
me  go  back,  and  I  request  you  to  keep  these 
words  and  not  to  forget  them."  The  next  Sab- 
bath he  was  baptized. 

It  is  comparatively  easy  to  get  Hindus  to  rise 
up  in  meetings,  and  ask  to  be  prayed  for ;  but  it 

is  very  difficult  for  them  to  be  baptized  !     J 

planned  to  be  baptized  November  26  ;  he  was 
baptized  March  15,  nearly  four  months  after.  I 
can  mention  ten  others  in  Poona  who  have  ex- 
pressed a  purpose  to  be  baptized,  and  only  one  of 
these  has  as  yet  taken  the  step. 

Shortly  after  his  baptism,  J was  discovered 


76  AMONG  India's  students 

by  his  fellow-students  who  often  came  to  his 
room  to  trouble  him.  He  lost  his  cap,  was 
beaten,  and  at  midnight  he  was  taken  to  the 
home  of  a  Brahman  LL.  B.  where  everything 
possible  was  done  to  make  him  return  to  Hindu- 
ism. His  brother  promised  him  support  if  he 
would  go  to  their  village.  The  pressure  was 
great  and  the  backward  pull  terrible.  After  a 
few  weeks  we  decided  to  send  him  to  a  Mission 
School  in  another  city  until  the  storm  of  perse- 
cution had  blown  over.  He  reached  tlie  city,  be- 
came lonely  and  discouraged  and  then  fell  ill.  So 
he  started  to  return  to  us.  On  the  return  journey 
a  relative  saw  him  on  the  train  and  carried  him 
off  to  Nasik,  a  place  always  sacred,  and  doubly 
sacred  that  year  because  of  the  festival  which 
takes   place   only   once   in   twelve   years.     Poor 

J was    surrounded    by    Brahmans    of   the 

Brahmans  whose  livelihood  depended  upon  loyalty 
to  Hinduism,  and  whose  wrath  was  unbounded 
upon  learning  that  a  Brahman  had  been  baptized. 

J wrote  about  his  capture,  and  that  it  would 

do  no  good  to  follow  him  and  attempt  a  rescue. 
''But  prayer  was  made  earnestly  .  .  .  unto  God 
for  him." 

Later  on  the  post  brought  the  following  from  a 
distant   town:     ''Very   sorry   to  write   that   my 

friend    Mr.    J died.     You  will   be  sorry  to 

hear  this,  but  we  are  glad,  because  he  left  our  re- 
ligion and  stuck  to  another  religion,  he  being  a 
high  caste  Brahman,  etc."  Again  we  went  to 
our  knees.  At  last  the  dear  fellow  managed 
to  escape  and  turned  up  in  Poona,  but  ill. 
Words  cannot  describe  the  joy  with  which 
we  welcomed  him  home.  We  gave  him  a 
room  next  to  my  study  that  he  might  not  again 
be  carried  away.  For  some  months  he  worked 
as  an  apprentice  in  an  office  of  the  Finance  De- 
partment of  Government,   in  which  department 


JOYS  77 

he  now  holds  a  salaried  position.  My  wife  and 
Mr.  Moorhead  helped  him  much  in  Bible  Study. 
His  prayers  were  most  simple  and  sincere. 

August  30th,    1895,  I  entered  in  my  book  of 

prayer  the  name  of  a  Brahman  lad,  C ,  for 

whom  I  felt  led  to  intercede.  November  27, 
1898,  our  prayers  were  answered.  We  shall  let 
the  young  man  tell  his  own  story.  He  has  writ- 
ten to  me  as  follows:  ^'I  think  that  it  is  my 
duty  to  let  you  know  the  fruit  of  a  seed  which 
you  had  sown  in  my  heart  which  was  in  darkness 
at  that  time.  I  remember  when  I  was  in  Poona 
I  was  attending  your  Bible  class  regularly  and 
you  and  Mr.  Moorhead  gave  me  a  copy  of  the 
Bible  for  attending  your  class  for  eighteen  days. 
Then  for  some  months  I  was  not  coming  to  the 
class  because  of  my  parents'  strict  orders.  Then 
I  began  to  go  to  Mr.  Bailey's  house  and  not  to 
the  Hall.  I  studied  for  some  months  with  Mr. 
Bailey.  I  came  to  Bombay  last  year  for  my 
University  School  final  examination  and  last 
January  got  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  Municipal- 
ity by  my  uncle.  When  I  came  to  Bombay  I 
asked  Mr.  Bailey  to  introduce  me  to  one  of  his 
friends  so  that  I  might  read  the  Holy  Book  with 
him.  He  introduced  me  to  Mr.  Anderson.  At 
last  having  studied  for  so  many  days  I  believed  in 
our  Lord  and  I  was  baptized  the  27  th  of  No- 
vember, 1898.  .  .  .  After  my  baptism  up  to  this 
date  I  have  been  suffering  a  great  deal,  but  I  am 
sure  that  this  storm  will  go  in  a  few  days.  I  hope 
that  you  will  try  to  see  me  when  you  will  come  to 
India.  Will  you  please  write  me  a  reply  and 
some  words  of  advice.  I  am  sure  that  you  are 
the  man  that  sowed  the  seed  of  Christianity  in 
my  heart,  etc." 

Mr.  T.  A.  Bailey,  who  has  been  carrying  on 
the  student  work  in  Poona  during  my  absence, 
writes  of  this  lad,  *'  He  seems  to  be  very  true  and 


78  AMONG  India's  students 

is  living  a  consistent  Christian  life."  'One 
planted,  another  watered ;  but  God  gave  the  in- 
crease. ' 

Though  the  work  among  India's  students  is  a 
difficult  one  there  is  much  to  encourage.  The 
first  Indian  lady  graduates  in  arts,  medicine  and 
law  were  Christians.  In  the  Madras  Presidency, 
where  Christians  are  one  in  forty  of  the  popula- 
tion, one  out  of  every  twelve  college  graduates 
is  a  Christian.  It  is  estimated  that  out  of  every 
six  converts  in  India  one  comes  from  a  higher 
caste  or  class.  These  results  can  be  explained 
only  by  the  power  of  God  when  we  consider  the 
paucity  of  Christian  workers  and  the  might  of 
Hinduism  which  holds  the  higher  classes  in  the 
iron  grip  of  caste  and  custom.  But  mere  num- 
bers cannot  measure  the  triumphs  of  Christianity. 
God's  truth  has  penetrated  beyond  this  numerical 
horizon  into  the  thought  life  of  many  more  thou- 
sands of  educated  Hindus. 


GLOSSARY 

Arya  Preacher, — a  preacher  of  the  Arya  Somaj,  which 
claims  to  have  found  out  the  true  religion  of  the 
Aryas. 

Avatar, — a  descent,  as  of  the  deity  into  incarnate  exist- 
ence, or  of  the  soul  into  cosmic  life;  incarnation. 

Babu, — a  polite  form  of  address  to  a  gentleman  or  person 

of  distinction,  such  as  Sir  or  Mr. 
Bazaar, — an   Oriental  market-place  or  range  of  shops. 

often  including  a  street  or  series  of  streets,  sometimes 

under  a  common  roof. 
Bhagavad  Gita, — a  philosophical  poem  which  forms  a 

part  of  the  Mahabharata. 
Brahman, — a  member  of  the  first  of  the  four  castes  of 

India ;  the  sacerdotal  class. 
Brahmanism, — the  religious  and   social   system   of  the 

Brahmans. 
Brahmo  Somaj, — a  religious  and  reformatory  society  in 

India  established  during  the  present  century  by  Ram 

Mohun  Roy  and  his  successor,  Keshub  Chunder  Sen. 
Bungalow, — a    house,    usually    one    storied,    tiled    or 

thatched,  and  surrounded  by  verandas. 

Cadi, — among  the  Turks,  Persians,  Arabs,  etc.,  a  chief 
judge  or  magistrate ;  usually  over  a  town  or  village. 

Caste, — one  of  the  hereditary  classes  into  which  society 
is  divided  in  Hindustan  by  the  religious  laws  of 
Brahmanism ;  also  the  principle  or  custom  of  this 
division. 

Gharry, — a  wheeled  vehicle  ;  a  cart  or  carriage. 
Guru, — a  spiritual  and  religious  preceptor. 

Hinduism, — Brahmanism  modified  by  admixture  with 
Buddhism  and  other  Indian  l)e]iefs  and  philosophies 
and  in  various  forms  embraced  by  the  masses  of  the 
Hindu  population. 

79 


8o  GLOSSARY 

Jainism, — a  religious  system  held  by  large  numbers  of  non- 
Brahmanical  Hindus.  Jainism  resembles  Buddhism 
in  its  moral  code,  denies  the  divine  origin  of  the 
Vedas,  but  holds  some  doctrines  in  common  with  the 
Brahmans.  The  distinctive  feature  of  the  system  is 
worship  of  sages  or  saints. 

Krishna, — a  modern  Hindu  deity,  the  most  celebrated 
hero  among  all  deities.  Krishna  appears  promi- 
nently in  the  great  epic,  the  Mahabharata,  especially 
in  the  Bhagavad  Gita. 

Mahrathi,— the  language  of  the  Mahrattas. 

Maidan, — a  public  plaza  or  parade  ground ;  hence  an 
open  space. 

Maya, — the  personified  active  will  of  the  creator;  illu- 
sion personified  as  a  celestial  maiden  taking  the  place 
of  the  older  Avidya  or  nescience. 

MelaH, — a  fair;  a  gathering  of  Hindus,  partly  for  re- 
ligious purposes  and  partly  for  trade,  often  attended 
by  vast  numbers. 

MooNSHEE, — a  teacher,  especially  a  Mohammedan  teacher 
of  languages ;  an  interpreter  ;  also  a  secretary. 

Prathana  Somaj, — a  religious  and  reformatory  society 
in  India  somewhat  similar  to  the  Brahmo  Somaj. 

PuNKAWALLA, — the  Servant  who  pulls  the  large  screen-like 
fan    swung  from  the   ceiling  and   moved  to  cool  a 


Rig  Veda, — the  first  and  most  important  of  the  Vedas, 
RiSHis, — certain  holy  men  who  were  the  seers  and  hear- 
ers of  the  eternal  voice  that  communicated  the  Veda 
from  Brahman  to  mankind. 


Sakta, — a  worshipper  of  a  Sakti,  representing  the  female 
principle  and  held  as  the  wife  of  a  deity  Brahma, 
Vishnu  or  Siva,  especially  of  that  one  of  the  Saktis 
who,  under  various  names,  Mas  the  wife  of  Siva. 

Sakya-muni, — the  monk  of  the  family  of  the  Sakyas. 
Sakya  is  the  family  name  of  Buddha. 

Sanhara-Acharya, — a  Malabar  Brahman  of  the  Saiva 
sect  and  Vedanta  school  of  philosophy. 


GLOSSARY  8l 

Sanscrit, — the  ancient  and  classical  language  preserved 
in  the  Hindu  sacred  writings,  belonging  to  the  Indie 
class  of  the  southern  division  of  Aryan  languages. 

Shastra, — a  collection  of  laws  or  teachings;  specifically 
the  Brahmanical  institutes  of  laws,  letters  and  reli- 
gion, including  the  four  Vedas,  the  six  Vedanga,  the 
body  of  the  law  and  the  six  sacred  books  of  philos- 
ophy. 

SiKHiSM, — the  creed  and  practices  of  the  Sikhs  as  taught 
in  the  "  Adi-Granth  "  or  Sikh  scriptures.  It  is  a  pan- 
theistic system,  combining  the  teaching  of  the  Persian 
Sufis  with  those  of  Hinduism;  rejecting  caste,  and 
enjoining  purity  of  life. 

SiVAiTE, — devoted  to  the  worship  of  Siva;  one  who  is  a 
follower  and  worshipper  of  Siva,  who  is  the  deity  in 
the  character  of  destroyer. 

SoMAj, — an  assembly  of  worshippers ;  a  congregation. 

SuDRA, — a  member  of  the  fourth  and  lowest  of  the  Hindu 
castes ;  believed  to  represent  an  indigenous  conquered, 
non-Aryan  race. 

Suttee, — a  former  custom  requiring  a  Hindu  widow  to 
immolate  herself  on  the  funeral  pyre  of  her  husband  ; 
also  the  widow  so  immolated. 

Tonga, — a  light  two- wheeled  cart  for  four  persons. 
TuLSi, — the  holy  basil  of  the  Hindus. 

Upanishad, — literally  a  philosophical  treatise  ;  one  of  the 
treatises  forming  the  third  division  of  the  Vedas ;  at- 
tached to  the  Brahman,  a  portion,  and  forming  part 
of  the  Sruti  or  revealed  word. 

Vaidya, — one  of  the  caste  of  hereditary  physicians. 
Vedas, — the  four  holy  books,  or  collection  of  hymns,  of 
the  Hindus. 

Vedantism,— the  system  of  the  Vedanta  ;  Hindu  panthe- 
ism. 
Vedic, — of  or  pertaining  to  the  Vedas. 


Prtncelon  Theological   Semmary-Speef   Librfir; 


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